Black Belt Bombshell
by kmsmith1975
Summary: Sookie and Amelia meet up with Eric and Quinn at a Karate Tournament. In a game of Truth or Dare, we learn how the gang lost their virginity. An Entry into the "Poppin Eric's Cherry" Contest. AH
1. Chapter 1

"Poppin' Eric's Cherry" One-Shot Contest

Title: Black Belt Bombshell

Pen name: kmsmith1975

Status (Virgin or Almost-Virgin): Virgin (not for long)

Beta'd by: VampAngel79

Primary Players: Eric and Sookie, plus Amelia and Quinn

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the SVM, I just want to play with them.

I awoke to the sound of my alarm going off. Oh, how I hated that thing sometimes. I wondered why I had volunteered to get up at 5 am on a Saturday to help with my karate school's tournament. It was our school's turn to host the Annual Fall Invitational. Since moving to Shreveport for college, Amelia and I have really neglected our training. I mean we are not the best black belts out there, but we can hold our own. We knew moving here would mean change. Amelia and I were teaching a few classes a week, so we could train for free, but we could only train 2 days a week instead of 5. We were known back home as "dojo rats". Our old Sensei had helped us work out a deal with a school here. So here we were up early to get to the college that we spent 5 days a week at. Well, maybe there will be some cute guys there.

I went into the kitchen and found Amelia, my roommate, ready to go with coffee in hand for me and her. "Oh, Amelia, how you know me so well. Thank you!"

She giggled and said, "No problem roomie, this will be fun. I have all your gear already in the car, now let's go!"

On the way over to the tournament, we talked about the past few tournaments and the people we have met. Every year one school gets to play host to all the other schools in the state. It ends up being a huge tournament, and a lot of fun.

Excitedly, Amelia said, "Oh Sookie, do you remember those guys we met last year? What were their names? Oh yeah, Eric Northman and John Quinn. Those guys were so full of themselves, we showed them, huh?"

Eric and John were both Head Instructors at their school, they managed the New Orleans school who hosted last year's tournament. When they saw us coming, they thought we were spectators there to watch, until they saw us compete. Let's just say they weren't so cocky by the end of the tournament. Amelia and I placed first and second in each of the three categories: kata, weapons and sparring. We left them with their mouths on the floor in awe.

"Of course I remember Amelia, they were so nice to look at, too bad their arrogance stood in their way," I said remembering just how good they were to look at. Eric was 6'5" of solid muscle, long blond hair pulled into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, broad shoulders, and a butt to die for! John, who liked to be called Quinn, was just as tall, but bald, his shoulders were not as broad as Eric's but still looked nice. Not that I was paying attention, but it's hard not to notice them.

Faking a shocked expression, Amelia said, "Sookie, and I thought you weren't looking! You are right girl, they were something to look at, maybe they will remember us."

I replied, "Oh I don't think they would, I mean we aren't the best out there. They just didn't know we were black belts."

"Sookie, they were falling all over themselves just to talk to you!" she yelled.

"Hardly Amelia, come on, I'm nothing to look at!" I said shyly.

"Don't be so sure Sook, if I see them I will ask if they want to get a bite to eat after the tournament."

I interrupted her, "Don't you dare Amelia Broadway, or I will never forgive you!"

We rode the last five minutes in silence. I was secretly hoping to see them again this year, but I was not sure I could talk to them without my drool bib. I get so tongue tied around guys. Amelia says I need to "get on with my virgin self", but I can't just give it up to anybody. Well, at least the scenery will be nice.

As we pulled up to the gym to unload our car, two heads popped out from behind a huge Dodge Ram pickup truck. "Hello ladies, remember us, Quinn and Eric? Why don't you let us help you with your stuff."

Amelia spoke up before I could stop her, "Oh Quinn, that would be so nice of you. Sookie, why don't you let Eric help you with your stuff."

I gave Amelia the death stare, but smiled sweetly at Eric as he came over to me. "Hi, Sookie is it? It's nice to see you again, you were really amazing to watch last year, are you competing again? I was hoping you would be."

Surprised by his shyness, I said, "Yes, it's Sookie, Eric right? It's nice to see you as well. I hope Amelia and I aren't inconveniencing you in any way by helping us?"

He smiled as he said, "No, it's no problem at all. We were done unloading Quinn's truck here, so we are free and available to help you out."

Knowing a thing or two about cars, since my brother Jason had been fixing cars with my neighbor Terry back home from the time when he could walk. I asked Eric where his truck was.

He replied, "Oh, I actually have a corvette, not the most practical to drive with my gear, but I love the speed of it, and how it hugs the road!"

I could see his eyes sparkle when he talked about his car, so I added, "It's good to see other people appreciate fast cars! My brother and I like to fix old cars and race them in the summers. I haven't done much since moving to Shreveport for college, but I do miss it."

"Wow, I'd never picture you for a fast car lover! But then again, I didn't expect you to be a fantastic black belt either." He blushed as he said this looking down.

I gave him a genuine smile and said, "Thanks Eric, you and Quinn are pretty good yourselves, how long have you been training?"

He picked up my gear bag and threw it over his shoulder like it weighed five pounds, as he said, "Well, Quinn and I met training when we were about 10. We were in the same class at school and ended up in the same karate class as well. We became instant friends and now we run the school together. How about you and Amelia?"

"Well, it was the same thing for us. We were in the same grade at school and the same karate class. My parents were killed in a car crash when I was 7, and I was going to have to quit training until Amelia's dad stepped up and paid my tuition. I became an adopted part of their family. We've been friends ever since. He's real proud of what we have accomplished, and encourages us to continue with our training. We actually don't get to train as much as we used to, we teach a few days a week, so we can train a few days for free. Our Sensei back home helped us work out the deal with the school in Shreveport." I realized I was rambling, so I said, "I'm sorry, you probably don't want to hear my sad story."

He looked at me with one eyebrow cocked and said, "Sookie, I could listen to you talk all day. I'm sorry about your parents. That must have been rough on you being so young. I'm sure your parents would be proud of you, you are very beautiful and so passionate in your studies."

Thank God Amelia came back over to me, I was getting a little overheated and I had not done anything yet. She said, "Excuse us Eric, we are needed to set up. We'll see you guys later!"

Relieved, I said, "Thank you, Amelia. We were talking so freely, I'm not sure what came over me, but I felt comfortable with him and was rambling on about nothing. He must think I am such a moron!"

Amelia chuckled, "Sookie, that boy is as smitten as I've seen 'em. He could not keep his eyes off of you. We'll have to see where this goes. We definitely need to go out after we are done here today."

Just as I was about to object, our Sensei Bill Compton walked up to us and asked, "What are you two doing? I need you to organize the trophies! I don't pay you to sit and look pretty with the boys. Now get to work!" He huffed off to delegate another group to set up chairs.

Amelia and I burst out laughing at him, "He is such a dork, I swear Amelia, and it's not like he pays us anyway. I can't wait until we don't have to work for him any longer."

Between laughs, she said, "I know what you mean. Now, wouldn't it be nice to work with those two fine specimens there?"

As I turned to see who she was talking about, my eyes met with Eric, and I swear he winked at me. I blushed and turn quickly almost knocking over the trophies in the process.

Trying to cover up what I almost did, I said, "Amelia, can you help me with these? I think they are mostly set up. They just need to be arranged by place, bigger ones in the back, don't you think?"

Amelia shook her head as she spoke, "Girl, you got it bad for him, and I think he's quite smitten with you too. This is going to be one interesting tournament!"

Over the course of the next few hours, we all had pitched in to set up the gym, and by the time the competitors were arriving we were all set, and headed off to change. The black belts traditionally competed first, and then the lower ranks followed. Today was no different, only my head was not in the game as they say, I couldn't get Eric out of my head!

I dressed in a daze, and as I was tying my belt Amelia snapped me out of my daze, "Sookie, are you trying to kill your belt? It's tied already, are you OK? I've never seen you this nervous, what's going on?" A light bulb must have gone off in Amelia's head because she broke out into the biggest shit eating grin I have ever seen. "I can't believe it, the great Sookie has lost her cool! I love it, you can't even focus! Snap out of it Sookie, we got trophies to win!"

I must have looked really stupid, because all I could say was, "Huh, I'm sorry Amelia, what did you say?"

She laughed and just grabbed me and we headed to the gym for our divisions. At some point I realized that I was being stupid, this was insane. I'm a Stackhouse for God's sake, I don't act like this. I forced everything "Eric" out of my head until after the tournament, I needed a clear head.

The next hour was a blur of commotion. We went from kata to weapons, and ended up gearing up for sparring. It wasn't until Amelia and I were fighting for first and second place that I realized I was on auto pilot the whole way. I was giving her a run for her money. She never lost when we sparred, but I just kept at her. I stopped when the judges called it. I had finally beaten Amelia at her best event. She was always much faster than I was. I was grinning from ear to ear. Now we just had to wait for the results of kata and weapons.

I was nervous, Amelia and I had always placed, but there were some really great girls in our division, so we both were pacing. I stopped in my tracks when two large warm hands descended on my shoulders, and a low voice was at my ear, "Relax Sookie, you did great, both you and Amelia have this locked up!"

I felt a shudder as I visibly relaxed by Eric's touch, "Thanks, but I am so nervous right now, my stomach is in knots."

"Speaking of stomachs, I know you haven't eaten anything, how about I take you out after we are done, and we get a bite to eat? Amelia and Quinn can come along too, you two deserve it. So, what do you think?" he asked.

"Um, what?.." Just as I was going to answer we heard the announcer come over the loud speaker to declare the winners in our division. I instinctively grabbed Eric's hand and buried my face into his chest.

I felt a chuckle rumble through his chest, it felt nice, but who was I kidding, he could have whomever he wanted.

I heard the announcer's voice saying, "In the women's black belt division, our winners are as follows: for kata, fourth place: Jan Stevens, third place: Emily Rogers, second place: Amelia Broadway, and first place: Sookie Stackhouse."

The arms that were holding me tightened as Eric picked me up and swung me around, "Sookie, you just won first place, you go girl!"

Amelia ran up to me, and hugged me so tight. We were jumping up and down. The announcer had to ask us to come up and get out trophies, and all we could do was apologize, "Sorry, this was unexpected, thank you."

Again the announcer came over the loud speaker with the results of our weapons division, "forth place: Emily Rogers, third place: Selah Pumphrey, second place: Amelia Broadway, and first place: Sookie Stackhouse."

"OH, Amelia, I can't believe it! I've never gotten all first places before, this is so awesome!" I said as I hugged her tight to me.

"I know, right? We need to celebrate tonight. What do you say to going out with the guys?" she asked tentatively.

"Oh, hell, Amelia, why not, what have we got to lose? Let's go out with Eric and Quinn after!" I think my friend was so shocked, she just nodded.

The rest of the day was a blur. The men's division went similar to ours, with Eric winning first place and Quinn second in all three of their divisions. After that, we really didn't see much of each other. We all were assigned as judges in different rings, so we couldn't talk until later. My mind was running wild, could things be this good? _Stop thinking Sookie and just go with it for once._ My mind really has its own agenda.

Before I knew it, all the trophies were handed out, and the clean up began. We all worked fast to get it done in no time. Amelia and I headed for the locker rooms to change. The guys said they would wait for us out front. We changed quickly and fixed our hair as best as we could, and headed to meet the guys.

We decided that the local Bar and Grill, Merlotte's, would be best. Our friend Sam's family owned it, and the food was awesome. We spent almost three hours there with Eric and Quinn. We all got along so great together, not to mention that Eric and I had so much more in common than karate. We both liked fast cars, as well as the same music, books, and movies. When we noticed the waitress trying to clean up and close for the evening, we decided to head back to the hotel the guys were staying at. This made me a little nervous, but Eric assured me we would just talk and have a drink. I was hesitant, but felt very comfortable with him, so off we went.

I couldn't believe my eyes when we got there, the hotel was gorgeous. I gasped at the sight, "Eric, this place is gorgeous. How can you afford a place like this? Oh, I'm sorry, that was rude, forgive me."

He chuckled, and put an arm around me as he said, "Don't ever apologize Sookie. I have invested well, I actually own this hotel. I take it you like it?"

"What!?" I said a little too loudly, "You own this place? How, I mean why? Oh, I'm making an ass of myself, sorry…"

"Sookie, relax. I own this because my family has money. I actually own several properties in Louisiana. The karate school is just one of my many businesses. My father taught me well. He taught me to buy places and fix them up and make a profit from them. When I bought this place five years ago, my intent was to fix it up and sell it, but I fell in love with the architecture of the building. I just couldn't sell it."

"Wow" _I was really very articulate today_, "Eric, this is so overwhelming. There is so much I don't know about you. I guess I just thought you were running the karate school, and I feel like the poor cousin." I looked at my feet to avoid his eyes.

"Come, let's sit and have a drink. It's still just me, Eric. And just because I own this place, doesn't change who I am. I like to keep my business and personal life separate, it makes things easier." He said as we sat in the corner of the lounge on a very comfortable couch. Amelia and Quinn were talking off in their own little world.

I really was feeling bad about what I said, "I'm sorry Eric. I'm just not used to this, my Gran struggled to raise my brother Jason and I, so I never asked for anything that wasn't necessary."

He took my hands in his as he said, "Really, Sookie, it's OK. My parents were very well off, and they taught us well how to make money, but it wasn't all roses in our world. My sister, Pam, and I grew up in boarding school. That's where I met Quinn too. We rarely saw our parents, and when we did, my father would lecture us about how to keep and make more money. I was so tired of him controlling everything I did, that when I turned 18, I left. Pam followed a year later. We lived together for a while and struggled to make ends meet. We ate Ramen noodles many times for our meals, but that all changed when our parents died. They were vacationing off the south of France, when their yacht blew up. They left all their money and assets to us. We really weren't sure we wanted it, but we knew that we couldn't let our family home go, so we sucked it up and took the money."

I was listening intently. I wanted to know more about this amazing man, so I asked, "Eric, what did you and Pam do after your parents died? You must have been in shock. I'm so sorry you lost your family. I mean you were living alone and suddenly had all this money?"

He chuckled, then said, "Well, we partied a lot at first, then after waking up in a house filled with half naked people we didn't know, we sobered up and called the family lawyer and accountant. Bobby Burnham was my dad's money man for years. He was more like a father to me than my own dad was. He was our contact if we needed anything while we were at school. It was hard to make that call and ask for help, but Pam and I were in over our heads. We knew there were businesses that needed attention, and we had no clue what to do. That's when Bobby suggested we invest our money. Pam thought it was a great idea. She has several retail stores in her name. I have this hotel and the karate school in mine. The rest is in the Northman name and we split the profits 50/50. I bought the karate school when I was 20, I needed to be involved with something I loved. Quinn and I were already teaching, and the school was in need of some major repairs, so I did it, and I have never looked back."

At this point Amelia and Quinn came over to us with a bottle of wine for me and her, and a couple of beers for the guys. We sat and started talking about random stuff: movies, music, where we liked to eat, and what we wanted to do in life. Amelia and I told them about our dream of opening a day spa / gym. Since we were both Marketing and Business majors in school, we thought it fit perfectly. Eric liked the idea, and I swear I could see the wheels turning in his head thinking of the possibilities.

Amelia was always much more brazen that I was , so I cringed when she suggested a game of Truth or Dare. "Come on, it will be fun. We can learn more about each other, and have a little fun too!"

"I'm in," said Quinn

"Me too," said Eric, "How about it Sookie, you in?"

I finished off the wine in my glass in one gulp and said, "Why not, this couldn't be too bad, right?"

Oh, how wrong I was. We started out small in a round robin with Truth, and told silly things about our childhood. Then the Dares started. Since we were technically in a public place, we couldn't get to outrageous, so we diverted back to Truth. It was Quinn's turn to ask, so he looked at Amelia and asked her, "So Amelia, why don't you start this round off with telling us about how your cherry got popped, huh?"

I choked on my drink and started coughing, both Eric and Quinn looked concerned, while I simply said, "Sorry guys, I wasn't expecting that, go ahead Amelia, tell us." I grinned knowing that Amelia's first time was so not what you would expect, so I just knew she would chicken out and change the subject, sparing me to have to tell about my "Virginal State".

Again I was wrong. I wondered how much Amelia had to drink, because she was just going on and on about her first experience, and how it was so awful, she couldn't wait for it to be done. She had us laughing, so when it came to Quinn's turn, he told us a tale of his girlfriend at the time. She had went to the extreme and had rose petals all over the bed, soft music playing and candles lit, and right as they were, ah, finishing, her mom walked in and interrupted them. "I was so embarrassed I just threw my clothes on and ran out of there. Needless to say, we didn't speak after that. I guess I was banned from her house or some shit like that. But my story doesn't hold a candle to Eric's story. Come on brother spill it, you know it's hilarious!"

Eric laughed, but I could tell he wasn't really comfortable with telling his story. However, in true guy fashion, he forged on with his tale.

"So I was 18, right before I left my parents controlling house. I wanted to spend the night with my then girlfriend. She was cute and sexy, and we both decided to wait until prom night to seal the deal. So after all the pictures, dinner and dancing, we took off in my dad's limo which was tricked out to the max, with sound system, lighting. You name it, it had it. Nothing was too good for my dad. We just wanted to get away and have our own party. I told the driver just to drive around the city and not to open up the partition no matter what. So here I was with a pretty girl, whom I thought was "the one". We were undressing in the backseat, I start taking off my tux and soon we just had our underwear on. We started kissing and rubbing ourselves all over each other, and when we are both naked I grabbed the box of condoms, which was a really large box. Quinn thought he was funny and packed the biggest box he could find in my bag. Anyway, I'm sorry ladies, there isn't any other way to tell this, so I hope I don't offend you. We started doing it. She was tight, and it was awkward, but we soon got a rhythm going, when she starts yelling "Oh Eric, yeah, that's it, just like that. Oh that feels so good, you are so big, give it to me harder". I'm loving this. I couldn't believe this was happening to me, she just went wild on me. So naturally being my first time, I didn't last long. When we are coming down off our high, I realize that the limo isn't moving. I wondered what was going on, so I opened up the sunroof and stood up. What I saw before me, were my parents and grandparents, along with the Mayor and the Police Chief, and a whole slew of VIP's outside the Art Gallery just staring wide eyed at me naked from the waist up. My girl then gets up into the roof as well, half dressed in only her bra and panties. The look on my dad's face was priceless. Apparently my dad had called the driver and told him to get over to the Art Gallery. He had some big wigs in town he wanted to impress, and here we pull up getting busy in the back seat! And that isn't even the worst part, somewhere in the middle of all this the PA system gets kicked on, so our moans and grunts were being broadcast to everyone outside the gallery! I dressed quickly, and then helped her back into her dress. We casually got out and walked past my parents. I knew they wouldn't do anything with everyone watching. We ran after we got passed the crowd. I got in so much trouble the next day. It was at that point when I decided to leave and go out on my own. We were just having a little fun, but my dad didn't see it that way."

Amelia and I had tears running down our faces from laughing so hard at Eric's story. Quinn just sat there and smiled, he knew we would react like this, that's why he egged Eric on. When we calmed down from the hysterics, Eric turned to me and said, "So, Sookie, let's hear about how your cherry got popped!"

I sobered up immediately from that question, and all I could muster up to say was, "Um, what?" _Uh oh!_


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you to everyone who read, commented and put my story on alert! A very comforting first try at this. I really appreciate it. Good luck to the finalists, sadly I am not one of them, but that's ok! Go vote for your favorite!!

All Mistakes are mine, this isn't beta'd.

So let's see what Sookie has to say….

* * *

Amelia and I had tears running down our faces from laughing so hard at Eric's story. Quinn just sat there and smiled, he knew we would react like this, that's why he egged Eric on. When we calmed down from the hysterics, Eric turned to me and said, "So, Sookie, let's hear about how your cherry got popped!"

I sobered up immediately from that question, and all I could muster up to say was, "Um, what?" Uh oh!

* * *

Chapter 2

I felt all the blood run out of my face, as the three of them stared at me. I started to sweat and really needed to get out of there. I'll admit, I am set in my ways and very proud of the fact that I am still at virgin at my age. But something in me told me to run away and not answer.

Eric spoke first, "Sookie, are you alright? You look like you need some air."

"Yes, I think I do need some air, I suddenly don't feel well. If you will excuse me, I'll be right back." I said before rushing out of the room.

I ran out of the French doors in the lounge into a beautiful garden and found a bench to sit down on. I started to think about telling them that I was a virgin and couldn't help but wonder why this was bothering me. Well, I knew why, I was attracted to Eric and didn't want to embarrass myself and tell him that. I couldn't help the silent tears that fell as I sat there alone. Stop crying and go back in there and just tell them, you have nothing to be ashamed of.

Just as I was about to get up and go back, I felt warm hands descend on my shoulders calming me instantly. Eric spoke almost in a whisper, "Sookie, are you ok now, you had me worried."

"Yes, I think I am. Thank you for checking on me. I just need another minute." I said

Eric let go of my shoulders but didn't walk away. Instead he sat down next to me and asked, "If I am intruding in any way, please tell me, but I get the feeling that you have some bad memories that you don't want to share. It was just a silly game, I am not offended if you choose not to talk about it."

"That isn't it Eric" I said turning away from him before continuing, "I am afraid of what you will think of me when you know the truth."

Eric cut me off before I could say anything else. "Sookie, it's ok. If you want to talk about it, I am a great listener and I promise not to judge you." With this he put his arms around me and pulled me to him in a hug. I rested my head on his chest and sighed.

Well, I might as well tell him, he will probably bail on me after I tell him anyway, so here goes. I pulled out of his embrace before saying, "Eric, I am a virgin."

He was silent for a few minutes and I felt I had to break the awkward silence, so I got up and turned to him. "It's OK Eric, I get this reaction from everyone. I'll just go get Amelia and we'll be on our way. It was good to see you again."

"Sookie, wait. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I guess I just wasn't expecting you to say that. I really like you and was hoping that I could take you out sometime?"

I smiled at him as I sat back down, "Eric, I like you too. We have a lot in common and you are fun to be around. I would like it very much to go on a date with you, but I don't want to be conquest for you."

He recoiled like I had hit him with my statement, but he said, "Sookie, I am nothing like I used to be. The young 18 year old that I told you my story about doesn't exist any longer. I haven't dated or slept with anyone in over a year. I got tired of the same air headed girls always hitting on me. They were pretty to look at, but there wasn't much going on upstairs if you know what I mean. I like you, more than I care to admit and we've only known each other a short time. I would never treat you like that. You are special and deserve to be treated as such."

I tucked a stray hair behind my ear, and let out a sigh, "I'm sorry Eric, I have been treated like a conquest with several other guys I dated. As soon as I told them I wasn't going to have sex with them, they bailed on me."

"You know, thinking back about it, I have a funny story to tell, but that's all. I don't see or speak to her anymore. Hell, I haven't spoken to her since that night!" Eric confessed.

I leaned back into his shoulder and his arm granted me access. It was so nice to sit and be held. I'm a simple girl. I just want to be loved and be happy. I was surprised how relaxed I felt sitting there with him. We looked up at the stars and he pointed out some of the constellations to me. He really was an amazing man. I vowed to give him a chance wherever this went with us.

Eric kissed the top on my head before whispering in my ear, "I really like holding you Sookie. I could get used to this."

"HMMM, it is nice isn't it?" I said.

Just then Amelia came out the door looking for me. "There you are Sook, are you alright?"

"I am now," Smiling at Eric, "I just needed some air."

It took her a moment to realize that I was tucked into Eric's embrace, but when she did, she said, "Since you two are so cozy, why don't we all go up to watch a movie? Quinn invited us up, is that OK with you Eric?"

"It would be my pleasure to spend more time with you." He said as he leered at me. OH, boy!

Trying to lighten up the mood, I asked, "Eric, please don't tell me you own a movie theatre as well?"

Eric laughed out loud and said, "No, but it's not a bad idea!" He smiled at me and winked.

I lightly tapped his arm at that comment, but secretly wondered how much money he really had. Another time Sookie, not going there tonight.

We rode up in the elevator to the top floor, of course, and when the doors opened, I gasped. Before I could say anything, Eric took my hand and offered to give me the grand tour. "As you can see this is the entire top floor of the hotel, there are two wings to the floor, the left side is mine and the right is my sister Pam's. The space in the middle is ours together, so it's more gender neutral. She likes pink, a lot of pink, my side is more earthy like me. There is a full kitchen always stocked, 52 in Plasma TV, Blu-ray player with movies, Xbox 360, PS3 and a Wii, all with more games that we know what to do with. In the corner is a pool table, darts and a fully stocked bar. So, what do you think of my space?"

"Wow, Eric this is amazing! How often do you stay here?" I asked still gawking.

"We used to stay here quite a bit, but not so much any more. We use it more for entertaining that anything else. I haven't slept here in over a year, but since we were here, Quinn and I thought we would stay a few days. Pam will be coming up tomorrow, we have business to take care of, so I was hoping that you would like to meet my sister. I know I want to spend more time with you, would you an Amelia like to meet us for brunch tomorrow?"

I looked at Amelia and she shrugged and smiled. I took that as a yes from her, so I said to Eric, "Sure, why not. I would love to meet your sister! But we better get going home if we want to make it to brunch with you. It has been a really long day and I am exhausted. Ames are you ready to go?"

"Sookie", Eric said pulling me into his side, "You know you could just stay here with us."

I tensed up and started to get a little upset, he knew I was a virgin and he asks me this? But before I can voice my concern, he simply states "Sookie, we have more than enough rooms here, you and Amelia can stay in one of the guest rooms. I will have clothes sent up for you from the Boutique downstairs, so you won't have to worry about anything. Please say yes, I am not ready to let you go just yet."

Wow, when he puts it like that who can say no to him. "Alright Eric, we'll stay, but no funny business mister."

He chuckled and grabbed me into a bear hug. "I wouldn't dream of it Sookie. I told you that you are special and I intend to treat you that way. I will be on my best behavior, Scouts honor!"

We ended up skipping the movie, it was really late. Eric had us call down to the Boutique and give them our sizes. Within a half hour we had sleep clothes and several outfits to choose from for tomorrow. Included in the bag was a bag of personal items for each of us, a toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, shampoo, deodorant, make up, you name it, it was in the bag. Eric explained to us that that was Pam's idea after Katrina had hit, they had so many people come to stay and they had nothing, she thought it was something that would make them feel at home and that someone cared. They just continued it after. I was already starting to like Pam. I just hope she liked me. Amelia and I changed into our PJ's and walked out to say goodnight to the guys.

I saw Eric across the room in only a pair of cotton sleep pants, he was a vision without a shirt. His upper body was sculpted just so, it was perfect. I wanted to run my hands over his muscled chest and back. He turned and caught me staring at him and I blushed. He crossed the room and took me into his arms. I really felt very comfortable with him, I just can't explain it. He broke our embrace and kissed me, soft and sweet at first, but when his tongue was trying to gain access to my mouth, I moaned and allowed him in. When we finally broke our kiss, we were both panting. I stepped back but Eric had other ideas. If we didn't stop now, well I wasn't ready for that just yet.

I stepped back again and said. "Goodnight Eric, I will see you in the morning."

"Goodnight Sookie, sweet dreams."

I walked into the room and closed the door. Yeah, I got it bad!

A/N: So what did you think? Please review! Next Chapter, we meet Pam. So should she be the Pam we all know and love, or a bit softer? I will wait to see what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I am so glad you are all liking this story! It warms my heart to get feedback, so thank you!

Again this chapter is un-beta'd, so mistakes are all my own. If anyone is interested in betaing my story, PM me.

I had to switch POV to Eric for a bit so I could convey how I want Pam to be. Of course she is going to harass her older brother, would we have Pam any other way? Enjoy!

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Chapter 3

EPOV

I was holding Sookie against my chest as we slept, she felt so warm, I could stay here all day. I could feel her start to stir in my arms and when she turned to face me, she started singing "Girls just want to have fun". What the hell? She kept singing and was getting louder. This is really odd, why is she singing?

My eyes flew open, no Sookie in my bed, but I was holding my pillow. That song was still playing, where is it coming from? Then I turned to my nightstand and realized that the hideous song was coming from my phone. I groaned as I answered, "Pam, what the hell is with the ringtone?"

"Oh, dear brother, did I disturb you and your guest?" She purred into the phone.

"Guest, what are you talking about, Pam? Do you know what time it is?" I Spat.

"Oh, you know, the size 8 you ordered clothes from my boutique for? I didn't disturb you did I? And it's almost 10 am, are you still joining me for brunch?"

"Pam, shit, I need to get up. I was going to call you before you got here. I have someone I want you to meet at brunch."

"Well big brother too late, I'm already here, now put her on the phone and I promise I won't bite."

"Fuck, Pam, where are you? She's not here in bed with me, she's here in the Penthouse, I'm bringing her to meet you, so you better be nice. I really like her."

"Fine, I'm in the restaurant, should I start without you? I don't have all day you know. Get dressed and get your ass down here. I'll give you a half hour and then I'm leaving." With that she hung up.

I got up and headed into the bathroom for a much needed shower. I had to check on my guests too. I smiled thinking about Sookie sleeping so close to me last night. Just not close enough. _All in good time Northman, all in good time._

I took the fastest shower ever and was ready in ten minutes. When I opened the door to my room, I saw Sookie, Amelia and Quinn waiting on me.

"I'm so sorry I overslept, Pam just called, she's already downstairs waiting. Sookie, did you sleep OK?" I asked as I walked over to her.

"Yes, Eric I did. Thank you for letting us stay here, and thank you for the clothes. How much do we owe you for them?" She asked reaching for her purse.

I took a hold of her arms and spun her around so I could kiss her. She responded to my advances and put her arms around my neck. We were brought out of out kiss by Amelia clearing her throat. "Sorry, guys, but I am really hungry, can we go eat?"

"Of course, let's go eat. I can't wait for you to meet my sister Pam. She really is a sweetheart." Eric said.

Quinn coughed trying to hide a laugh, "Ah, Eric, your sister is about as sweet as a rabid pit bull!"

"Come on Quinn," He said slapping Quinn on the back. "You know she is only like that because she thinks of you as a brother!"

SPOV

I slept really good seeing as how the most gorgeous man I have ever met is sleeping in the next room. I think I was so tired from the Tournament that as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out. I woke up to Amelia jumping on my bed. "Oh my God Sookie, can you believe where we are? Are these guys for real?"

"Ames, stop jumping on the bed, I really have to pee!" I said as I laughed at her.

It was 8am and we weren't sure what time we had to meet with Eric's sister Pam, so we thought that we should just go ahead and get showered and dressed. Amelia and I picked out a cute dress from the clothes that were sent up last night. I picked out a cranberry red dress that went to just above my knee. It had 3/4 length sleeves that were shear from the shoulder, with a square neck and a criss cross band across the waist with a shear layer over the skirt. Amelia chose a teal blue short sleeve knit dress that wrapped around the back and tied and came to just above her knee. The neckline was more daring than mine, hers dipped way too low for me, but she looked stunning.

When we emerged from the room, Quinn was there waiting for us, but Eric was not. My good mood faltered a bit when Quinn walked up to Amelia and complemented her on her dress after giving her a hug and a kiss. I went to sit on one of the couches to give them some privacy. Amelia came to sit next to me and asked Quinn where Eric was?

He said, "Um, not sure Amelia, I thought he would be up by now."

Just then we heard Cindy Lauper's "Girls just want to have fun" coming from his room. I stifled a giggle thinking of him and that song. I then heard his voice as he must have been speaking to his sister. Within ten minutes he rushed out of his room apologizing for oversleeping. When he came right over to me and kissed me, my heart swelled.

I was excited to meet his sister, she sounded like she was just as nice as him and as we headed out of the room, Quinn said to Eric, "Ah, Eric, your sister is about as sweet as a rabid pit bull!"

That stopped me in my tracks, Amelia noticed and grabbed my hand and pulled me along. In the elevator, Eric slipped his arm around my waist and whispered into my ear, "Sookie, you look absolutely gorgeous, and I am very excited you decided to stay last night. Do you have plans for after brunch?"

"Um, I'm not sure, Amelia and I haven't been home since Saturday morning, my homework and projects are all done, but I don't know if she had plans for us or not. Ames, do we have plans after brunch?" I asked pleading with my eyes hoping she would catch on.

"Sook, I am going out with Quinn after, so you go have fun!" She said with a huge smile.

"Well, it looks like you are all mine for the afternoon." Eric leered. "I have just the place I want to take you."

I was glad the elevator decided to stop because being in close contact with Eric was making me a little hot. Not that I didn't enjoy being that close, I just was already nervous about meeting his sister. We walked into the same lounge area we were in last night, only today all the tables were full and waiters were hurrying around bringing food to everyone. I really liked how simple it was last night, very comfortable, today it seemed more robust. We were heading to a table where I could see the most gorgeous blond sitting attached to a Blackberry looking bored. She was wearing a pink shirt dress, very simple black belt, but looked stunning. She looked like she commanded attention. When we came upon the table, she looked up at Eric and said, "Oh, good, I won't have to eat alone. It's good to see you big brother."

"Pam, you remember Quinn, this is Amelia, and Sookie." Eric introduced us.

Pam looked unamused as she addressed Quinn, "Ah, how could I forget you, _Tiger."_

She then looked at us, and with grace and charm said, "Amelia, Sookie, so nice to meet you, by the way, you look stunning in those clothes. I take it my brother here sent them up from the shop? I hand picked those out myself, I must say I do have great taste."

I spoke up first, remembering my manners, "Pam, it is so nice to meet you, Eric has told us so much about you. Thank you for the clothes, I just love this dress. May I say you look amazing in that dress." I figure I better compliment her, it was an awesome dress.

"Oh, you like? It's the new Anne Klein line, not even available to the public yet. I love the perks of working in fashion." Pam looked pleased. "Please sit down, you must be starving ladies." She looked at the waiter, "Andrew, more Mimosas please. So ladies, how do you know my big brother and Quinn here?"

"Well, Amelia and I are black belts and met Eric and Quinn last year at the tournament, and then when we ran into each other this year, we sort of hit it off." I said as I stole a glance at Eric who was smiling as well.

Pam's mouth was hanging open then gleamed into the biggest smile I have ever seen. "So, Sookie, you must be the blond that Eric couldn't stop talking about from last year, very interesting. So where do you ladies work? I just know we are going to be great friends!"

Wait, Eric talked about me last year? Oh. My. God! My inside were doing the happy dance. "Pam, we are students at LSU, and Amelia's dad pays for our apartment, so we only work part time to have some spending money. But the real world hits us soon, we graduate in December and we will need to find jobs."

"What are you studying? You know Eric and I own many companies, I am sure we could help you out?"

"Pam, that is really sweet of you to offer, but Amelia and I have our own plan, we want to start up a Spa/Gym. Her dad is going to help us with start up and everything!"

Eric decided to chime in, "Amelia, who is your dad? Anyone we might know? This hotel has space in the lower level for just that sort of thing. Maybe we can work together and make your dream a reality."

Amelia looked very sheepish, she hated to throw her dads name around. "Um, my dad is Copley Carmichael."

Eric, Pam, and Quinn all looked like they would spit their mimosas out. They had the widest eyes and coughed to try and cover up their shock. Pam spoke up, "Amelia, do you realize that your dad is the most sought after business owner in Louisiana? We have been trying to get into business with him for that last few years! Wow, this is really great. Can you put in a good word for us?"

Amelia simply said, "Sure."

I was intrigued by what Eric had said, he was interested in working with us? I will have to ask about this. "So, Eric, when you said that the lower level was available, what did you have in mind? I could be fun to work with you guys."

Eric smiled at me, I guess he liked the idea too. "I can show you both after we eat. There is an old pool that we have thought about getting restored, right now it's empty, but here are also three huge rooms all adjacent to the pool area. I think at one point there were locker or dressing rooms. But I think they would be perfect for a spa and a gym. If you were interested, we could help you get up and running and since the hotel is already here, you wouldn't have to pay us to rent the space."

I looked at Amelia who just shrugged and then I said, "Well, I think it's got potential, but can we talk about it after we see the space? I don't want to commit to anything without discussing this with my partner, right Amelia?"

Thank God Amelia and I are so tuned into each other, without skipping a beat she said, "Of course Sookie, once we look at the space, we can decide what we want to do, we want to keep all our options open, but I agree it does have potential."

We finished up brunch, it was really a lot of fun, Pam was so nice and I think I was more comfortable with Eric as well. He made small gestures toward me, a small touch on the arm, his arm around the back of my chair. I was really looking forward to spending more time with him today.

Pam came along while we toured the lower level, it really did have great potential, the pool was enormous! I could visualize where we could place things and I could tell Amelia was too. We told Eric and Pam that we would let them know in a few days, making plans to talk on Monday after our classes. Pam said her goodbyes and headed off to another meeting. Quinn and Amelia had been discussing their plans and they to headed out leaving just Eric and I.

"So, what did you have in mind for us?" I asked a little nervous.

"There is a wonderful park nearby, they have Sunday afternoon outdoor concerts, why don't I get us a blanket and a picnic basket and we can go there." He said with his blue eyes sparkling.

"It sounds great Eric, will we need a jacket?"

Next up, their afternoon together.

I posted on my page the outfits that Sookie, Amelia and Pam wore.

I may jump ahead a bit maybe just until after they graduate, which isn't that far, but I want to keep things interesting. Plus will Eric get to "pop" Sookie's cherry???


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I am so glad you like this story, I am having fun writing it. I promise that we will get to some lemons, all in good time!

I have a Beta now! Yeah! So a HUGE THANK YOU goes out to Northwoman! You Rock.

Also I have never been to Louisiana before, so I don't know if they have Sunday afternoon concerts in the park, but we have similar things here at the beach on Lake Ontario. So I am just making it up.

I do not own these characters, CH does and I am just playing in her sandbox!

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Chapter 4

After Eric had got the blanket and picnic basket, we headed out to the park. It was still pretty warm for early November but I noticed he had a sweatshirt with him as well. We walked the short distance to the park and found a nice spot under a tree. Eric spread the blanket and we sat down waiting for the concert to start. The park was beautiful and had a gazebo in the middle with some benches around it. It looked like most people had brought a blanket, as we had, to sit on and enjoy the music. Eric had said they play a variety of music each week and it was always very good.

I wondered what Eric packed in the picnic basket since we just had brunch about an hour ago. He said it was a surprise and I had to wait. I, of course, pouted and he smiled and kissed my forehead.

I really had some questions for Eric and I guess there was no time like the present.

"Eric?" I asked tentatively.

"Yes, Sookie?"

"I have some questions I would like to ask, but I'm not really sure how to ask them. Can you promise me to hear me out before answering?"

"Yes, of course, you can ask me anything." He smiled and made me feel more comfortable.

"Pam said that you had mentioned me while we had brunch, is that true?"

He chuckled and said, "You caught that huh? Yes I did mention you to her. After we had met last year, I was really impressed with you and wanted to get to know you better, but we were still getting settled and I was in New Orleans and you were here. I didn't want to pursue you if I couldn't be around to see you."

_Wow, I wasn't sure that he even noticed me! Ok Sookie, deep breath!_

"That's really sweet Eric, I wasn't sure you even remembered me. I am deeply touched that you did. What about now? I mean aren't you going back to New Orleans?" I bit my lip nervously.

"Well, I will have to go back for a few weeks, but Quinn and I have been talking about moving on from that school. He has a dream of opening a catering business and that would be tough to juggle with classes. We have a good friend, Alcide, he and his sister Marie Star are looking to buy out our portion and run it themselves. We left them in charge for this week while we are here. So I guess timing is working out for us. What about you and Amelia? Where do you want to open this spa/gym? I mean the offer still stands with my hotel. The lower level is vacant and I know I would like to see more of you."

"Eric, it's really a great offer, and I promise that Amelia and I will seriously consider it, but I would like to talk it over with her. We would have to figure out a fee scale, we won't take free rent just because we know you. And, if for some reason we don't use your space, would you still want to see me?"

"Sookie, I have been wanting to be with you for over a year, so I don't care if you use my space or not. I want to date you, take you out to dinner, or movies or practice karate together. Maybe we can fix up an old car together." He chuckled.

I smiled and blushed a little. I then asked him, "Eric, aren't you living in New Orleans? You and Pam have your parents' home there right?" I really wanted to get to know him but I don't want him selling his parents' home because of it.

"Actually, our parents' home that we love so much is in Sweden. We do have a house in New Orleans, but it's not home. Only the house in Sweden is home. In fact, we have houses not only in New Orleans, but in New York City, Miami, and San Diego. My parents liked to travel but hated to stay in hotels, so they bought homes where they liked to go. Pretty ironic that I own a hotel huh?"

"Wow, Eric, you weren't kidding when you said your parents were wealthy! It's a bit overwhelming. You don't have to work at all from the sounds of it, yet both you and Pam do. Have you ever just not worked and enjoyed the money?"

"Yes and no, we have never known anything but having money. I would give it all up to have spent some quality time with my parents. Neither Pam or I were close with them. All I really want is a family to share my life. I want to have cookouts with kids and friends, not the nanny. I missed out on so much because my father only thought of money."

I had tears forming in my eyes, he looked so sad at that moment, I just wanted to comfort him. I leaned over to hug him and he pulled me into his lap.

"Shhh, no tears today. Yes I am sad I never got to spend that time with my dad, but that is what he chose. I didn't and Pam and I did ok for ourselves. I want to know more about you, so tell me about your life when you were younger Sookie."

I smiled, but had no intentions of leaving the comfort of his lap, so I told him what he wanted to hear. "Well, my brother, Jason and I were raised my Gran after our parents were killed in a car crash. I was only 7 and I really don't remember them much. Gran has been my whole world. Amelia is more like a sister to me than a friend. We were pretty close before my parents died, and just stayed that way ever since."

"You didn't grow up in Shreveport, right? Where is home to you Sookie?"

Eric wanted to know more about me, which I was only glad to tell him. "My Gran's house is in Bon Temps, not far from here. She lives in an old farmhouse next to the local cemetery. That old farmhouse has been home to the Stackhouse family for over a century. It may look old, but it has plenty of character. I am extremely proud of my family home, because it was home not just a house."

Eric hugged me around my waist as he said, "It sounds wonderful. Does your Gran still live there now? I would love to see where you grew up. It would give me more of a sense of who you are, Sookie Stackhouse."

I don't know about him, but I feel so comfortable around him, almost as if we knew each other for more than a few days. He feels safe to me. I need to tell him some uncomfortable things for me, but it will make me feel better that he knows.

"Actually, yes Eric, my Gran does still live there. Amelia and I were planning on going home for Thanksgiving. Her dad will be out of town and Gran would never let anyone be alone on a holiday. Do you have plans? Because you are more than welcome to come to Gran's house. She would just love to feed more than just me, Amelia and Jason. Maybe Pam would like to come along as well too?"

"I actually haven't thought that far ahead, it's still a few weeks away, but I would be honored to have dinner at the Stackhouse home. As far as Pam, I will ask her, she usually has plans of her own." He smiled with sincerity and I knew he was being truthful.

I was playing with the hem of my dress, very nervous to say what I wanted to tell him. "Eric, do you want to know why I am still a virgin at 25?"

"I am intrigued, yes, but I do not want to make you uncomfortable either, so if you are ok with telling me, I would be honored to know."

"Ok, here goes. Amelia and I were always fairly popular. We had lots of friends, but when you live in a small town, everyone is friends. I didn't start to date until I was in High School, Gran's rule. So when Amelia and I started going out on dates, a lot of guys thought we would put out. Obviously I didn't, but word got out that I had, to some kids who graduated with my brother. Now Jason was at Alabama on a Football Scholarship until he blew his knee out. So when he came home, he went to LSU to finish up his degree and is now the Phys. Ed teacher at Bon Temps High."

"So he was a Junior at LSU when Amelia and I were Seniors in High School and he invited us to a party off campus. He thought that we would like to see how the college kids lived. And since Jason was with us, Gran let us go. In true Jason fashion, he drove us to the party, but took off with a girl under one arm and a beer in the other, leaving Amelia and I to fend for ourselves. I knew a few of the guys there, they were Jason's friends and grew up in Bon Temps, so I figured I was OK, plus Amelia was with me."

"Boy was I wrong. Somehow we got separated when I went to the bathroom and when I got back I could not find Amelia or Jason. I didn't want to panic but I was starting to feel very uneasy. I ran into JB, who was my brother's best friend. He offered me a drink and said he would help me find Jason or Amelia. He walked with me all over the house and we ended up in a back bedroom that was used for storage. I had been sipping my drink the whole time and was starting to feel dizzy. Just then he started to kiss me. I felt like my body was almost paralyzed. I wanted to make him stop but I couldn't."

I paused to take a hold of Eric's hand, "He tried to rape me, but thankfully he was stopped before he could. Lafayette, who is big and buff, but also black and gay, barged into the room looking for cups or plates and when he found JB on top of me, he flipped. I blacked out and woke up in the hospital. Jason and Amelia told me that Laf beat the crap out of JB and they called the cops. He was arrested and charged with attempted rape and possession of an illegal substance."

"Thankfully I was ok from the date rape drug he slipped in my drink, but it has made me really think about what I want. I have been hesitant around men ever since and I have only casually dated a few guys since. I feel comfortable around you enough to tell you. I feel safe with you, and I haven't had that feeling before. It does scare me a bit, but I am willing to let myself go with it for once."

Eric was silent for long enough that I thought he might have gotten scared off by my story, but when I went to ask him to say something, he stopped me by saying, "Sookie, I am so sorry that you had to go through that. Nobody deserves that, especially you. You are so kind and generous, and very brave to tell me. It only makes me like you more. We have plenty of time to get to know each other, let's listen to the music we came to hear."

We sat for another hour just listening to the band play. I thought I recognized a few of the songs from my music appreciation class. It was really beautiful to listen to the music. After the concert was over, we gathered up our stuff and headed back to the hotel. Amelia and I drove together so we had made arrangements to meet back at the hotel around 3. I felt bad, that Eric brought the picnic basket and I never did see what was inside. Curiosity won out and I asked, "Eric, what was in the basket? We started talking and I feel bad we never got to open it."

He grimaced, but said, "After you told me about the attempted rape, I didn't think it was appropriate. I brought out a bottle of wine for us to share. We can save it for next time." _Aww, that was really sweet of him._

He held my hand as we walked back and I started to giggle, when he stopped and said, "What is so funny?"

"I totally was going to ask you at brunch but we got sidetracked and I forgot. Why did Pam call Quinn "Tiger"?"

Eric laughed so loud, people turned to stare. "Oh, my, Sookie, I wasn't sure you caught that, but since you did, I will tell you. It's actually quite funny. When we were at boarding school, Quinn was jealous that I always got the attention of the girls. So one day Pam came to our room to visit and brought along her friend Sophie. She was new that year and Pam the social butterfly just had to show her around. Well I was in the shower when they arrived and didn't catch what had transpired. But I did hear Pam and Sophie cackle and I had to know why. When I was dressed, I walked into the living room and saw Quinn looking very sullen. Pam blurted out that Quinn had tried to pick up Sophie with some line of him being a "Tiger" in bed and actually purred in her ear. That was what caused the cackle out of them and Pam will never let him live it down."

"OH. MY. GOD!! That is too funny." I wonder if he used it on Amelia. I'll ask her later. By the time we made it back to the hotel, Amelia had the car packed and was waiting for me. I didn't want to leave Eric so soon, but I knew we had a few things to do and we had classes tomorrow morning. I made sure Eric had my number in his phone and vise versa and we said our goodbyes. I got a quick kiss only because we had an impatient audience - Amelia. He promised he would call me later and we were off.

About twenty minutes later we pulled into our apartment complex and unloaded the car. I had some laundry to do and Ames started to cook us dinner. She was very quiet and I know her too well - something was bothering her. "OK, Amelia, out with it!"

"Out with what?" She asked as she was chopping tomatoes for our salad.

"Oh, come on, I know that look. You are so wanting to say something, so just get on with it."

Amelia sighed, then put the knife down before speaking. "I had a really great time with Quinn, but he told me about his catering business. He will be moving out to Las Vegas. His sister Frannie is graduating from UNLV and they are staring the business up together. Sooks, I really like him, but I don't know if I can do a part-time relationship."

I pulled her into a hug and let her know I was there for her. I had no idea where this thing with Eric was going to go, but I too wanted to give it a shot. "I don't blame you, Ames, I am not sure I could do part-time either. Maybe he will be around more than you think. Besides, we have our own plans to work on, so we will all be busy. I know we said we would talk about Eric and Pam's offer tomorrow, but would you like to do it tonight? We can hammer out some things we want, sleep on it and make a final decision in the morning."

"Actually, Sookie, I kind of am already sold on the idea. I love this area, and my dad had already told us he was giving us the money to do with what we want, so it would be perfect for all the renovations. I do want to pay some sort of "rent" or give them a percentage of our earnings. I want our business to be on the up and up, if they won't take it, we can figure out some other way to pay them back. They are being overly generous and it really is a perfect space."

"I think it might work as well, let's make a list of what we want to do as far as renovations and go from there. We know that the pool needs to be resurfaced, the locker rooms will need to be built, mirrors installed in the gym area, the equipment and the spa rooms. I like the area too, there is so much more opportunity in Shreveport than in Bon Temps. I think we could market our business to local companies and get some active members. Oh, let's not forget about advertising!"

"Sookie, we probably don't have to do much in the way of advertising, the hotel guests will be most of our clients. We will need to hire staff, but I think we can get away with just a few to start, plus we can help out until things take off. We can have our services listed in all the rooms. Who wouldn't want to stay at a nice hotel and take advantage of a massage or a great workout with state of the art equipment? Bu, I agree that having repeat clientele would help. We would be in a great spot to target all of Downtown Shreveport." She smiled, I knew her mood was lifting. Amelia was all about organizing. If I was right, she would have sketches done by breakfast.

Her attention was back on me, she gave me a look, one I knew all too well. "I want to know all about you and Mr. Tall, Blond and Gorgeous. It's your turn to spill!"

I blushed, just as I knew I would. "I really like him too. He makes me feel comfortable. It's been hard since "the incident" to get close to people. We talked quite a bit about each other, I told him about the almost rape, and he was really supportive. I mean he already knew I was a virgin before we talked today, so he seems like he is interested. He said that he was impressed with me after we met last year. He even mentioned me to Pam."

"I caught that at brunch, I wasn't sure if you did. Pam seems really nice too. From what Quinn told me, their parents were loaded, like my dad is loaded. If that's true, I can see why they want to be generous, but I think if we do this, we need to have a contract. I want to be official. I also saw Eric sneaking glances at you all morning. From the looks of things, I think he likes you too."

"I hope he does, he told me he is planning on moving closer to Shreveport, I think with Quinn going to Las Vegas, he doesn't have much left for him in New Orleans. I guess they have a good friend who is interested in buying them out of the school. It sure would be nice to see more of Eric, and easier if he was living closer. Well, I know your mind is going a mile a minute with ideas for the renovation, so I'm going to head up to bed, I have an early class. Let's plan on meeting at eleven tomorrow for coffee. We can finalize our plan then. Oh, yeah, I invited Eric and Pam to Gran's for Thanksgiving, why don't you see if Quinn wants to come along." I smiled and gave her a quick, "Night Ames."

"I will, night Sook."

I knew Eric planned on calling me tonight and I didn't want to miss his call. I set myself up with my laptop and started on my own ideas when my phone rang.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I don't own any of these characters, CH does, I just want to play in her world.

Thank you again to my Beta Northwoman, who answers all my questions and sets me on the right track.

Please review after you read this chapter, as I'm a new writer, comments make my day and make me want to write faster!

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Chapter 5

As I reached across my laptop to get my phone, I knew who was calling. It was Eric and I was so excited to talk to him.

"Hi Eric!"

"Hi Sookie, why do you sound like you ran to answer the phone?"

I laughed, "I didn't run, I just had to reach over my laptop to grab it. I did just come upstairs after talking to Amelia though."

"Oh, really, anything I would be interested in?" I could hear the anticipation in his voice.

"Actually, yes, but we are still discussing things, so you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out!" I smiled and I heard him groan.

"Sookie"

I interrupted him before he could continue, "I wasn't done, let me finish. I wanted to see if you and Pam would be interested in having dinner with us tomorrow, we will have our answer then and I'm sure we will have all kinds of questions. I make a mean lasagna!"

"How did you know the way to my heart is with food? Lasagna is my favorite, YES, we will be there, what time?" Eric said excitedly.

"Amelia and I have class from 9-12 and then she has a class from 3-4:30, so why don't we say anytime after 5? I will be home all afternoon, so if you wanted to keep me company, I wouldn't mind." I secretly hoped he would.

"YES, I will be there at 3. So, when can I take you out again?"

"Um, well, when did you have to go back to New Orleans? I mean I don't want to keep you from anything. But, I have to work from 4-8, on Tuesday and Thursday. I am free the other days at noon." Oh, my, he wanted to spend more time with me? I was squealing on the inside!!

"I don't have a set time frame to go back, I had planned on being here until next Sunday. I will probably leave at noon that day. Alcide is in charge and this will be a good test for him. The school pretty much runs itself, the classes are all set with the instructors, I really was just there to oversee things. He is excited to do this, and frankly, I couldn't be happier. It's time for me to move on to bigger and better things."

"That's really great for you, Eric. Do you have a new project lined up? I guess we can figure it out tomorrow when you are here. Is that ok with you?"

"Sure it is, Sookie, I just want to spend time with you, get to know you better. And, yes, I do have another project in the works. That is why I am making a move here to Shreveport. Pam found an apartment complex that is need of updating. Right now it's empty, I guess it has quite a bit of asbestos and is unsafe to live in. So, that is where we want to set up a meeting with Amelia's dad. Word has it that he owns an asbestos removal company."

"Wow, that sounds like a huge project! How many apartments are in there?"

"I think there are five floors and each has four-three bedroom apartments. I want to open up the top floor to make it only two apartments, that way Pam and I could have our own space."

"You, know there is so much that I want to know about you, you have been involved and seen so much. Would you mind answering more questions? It's ok if you don't, I was just curious."

"I've already told you, you can ask me anything, but it's late right now and you, my sweet Sookie, have early classes. Why don't we continue our twenty questions tomorrow?"

"Sure, I guess you are right. I do have early classes, but do we have to hang up just yet?" I really just wanted to hear his voice some more.

I heard Eric chuckle into the phone, "Ah, you like my sultry voice huh? Well, I can't blame you really, I could listen to myself talk all day too."

"Well, Northman, you are quite full of yourself, aren't you? "

"Why, yes, Stackhouse, I most certainly am. But it is fun to tease you. And I don't miss those early morning classes either. I love working for myself and making my own hours. I did my time in college. I even doubled up to get done sooner. Pam told me I was crazy, but I had a goal and I wasn't going to let anything stop me."

"That's awesome, where did you go to school? You don't seem like the type to want to get done early, you said yourself you were a partier."

"Ah, Sookie, you are stalling. I don't want to get off the phone either, but you have classes, and I don't want you to fall asleep on me tomorrow afternoon because you stayed up tonight."

Shit, he had a point. "OK, I get it, but I only have a few weeks left, then I don't have any excuses not to stay up and talk to you." I really wanted to stick my tongue out at him, but he couldn't see.

"Goodnight Sookie, sleep well. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night, Eric." I hung up and plugged my phone into the charger. Before I grabbed my pj's and went into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth, I texted Eric my address. He responded back with a thanks and a smiley face. I crawled into bed and set my alarm. Tomorrow will be a great day!

I woke up to my alarm blaring and Amelia jumping on my bed. I groaned and told her that she better have coffee.

"Of course I have coffee, I've been up for almost an hour, I made muffins and I have some sketches for you to see."

"So, I take it that you really like this idea, Amelia? Cause I know I do and I want us to be sure that this is what we want. Oh, and I invited Eric and Pam to dinner tonight to discuss things."

"Did you tell him already?!" she screeched.

"No, of course I didn't. I told him that we talked last night and were going to sleep on it and finish our discussion today and let them know tonight at dinner."

"Do we have to wait until tonight to tell them?" She whined and pouted.

"Um, Amelia" I said looking to the alarm clock, "It's 6:45 am, I really don't think Eric would appreciate us calling this early."

I got puppy dog eyes and another pout, "Please Sook, I am just so excited to get started on this, he can take a nap if he wants. Call him. PLEASE?????"

"Alright, but I'm totally telling him that it was your idea to call so early." I picked up my cell and dialed Eric's number hoping that he wouldn't be upset that I was calling so early.

He picked up on the second ring, "Sookie? What's wrong?"

"Hi, Eric! Sorry to wake you but Amelia didn't want to wait to tell you our news. We would be honored to go into business with you and Pam. She has been up for an hour, and has sketches drawn and everything. Oh, and muffins and coffee too!"

"I'm really excited too, but I think I may have to kill your partner, Sookie. Is she always like this in the morning?"

I laughed, giving Amelia the evil eye, "Yeah, she is, but she always has my coffee waiting for me when I get up, so I can't complain too much. You can go back to sleep now. We will have lots of questions for you both later. Will I still see you at 3?"

"You bet. I will bring some ideas I have had for the area too. You can see if any of them fit with what you want. But I need sleep."

"Bye Eric, see you later."

"Bye."

I jumped up and got into the shower. In no time, I was dressed and ready for the day. Amelia was practically bouncing out of her chair when I walked into the kitchen. I grabbed my coffee and looked over her sketches. "Ames, these are really good, do you think we will have enough money to get all this done? I mean we can always do half and then when we make some profits, we can add on. Eric said he would bring along some ideas he had for the space too."

"I think we will have more than enough, I already called my dad and told him our plans. He is very excited for us and said whatever we need, he will help us out. I don't think that we need to worry too much about the money, cause most of what we need are not load bearing walls and such. The structure is sound, so we are just adding to the current space. The pool might cost more, but maybe Eric can help us there. We didn't have a pool in our original idea, but since it's there and it just needs some fixing up, it will be great."

"Ok, listen, on our way home at lunchtime, can we swing by the store and pick up what we need for dinner?"

"Yes, I think that will be fine Sook, so are you going to make your famous chocolate cake?"

"OOH, good idea Ames! I think I will, now that you mention it. This is going to be so much fun!"

Classes dragged by, and as soon as my last class was done, I ran out to Amelia's car. I was so excited to get started on our plans, but mostly, I really wanted to see Eric. We made a quick stop at the store and once we got home, I started on dinner while Amelia cleaned. Not that we are slobs, but Amelia doesn't like anything out of place. I'm so glad I have her.

Before I knew it, she was grabbing her books for her afternoon class and headed out the door. I started to get nervous because Eric should be here at any minute. I ran into my room to change out of my sweats, when I heard a knock at the door.

When I opened the door, Eric was there in a pair of faded blue jeans, a black polo shirt and flip flops. "Hey, Sookie." He said as he reached in and gave me a kiss. "Here, these are for you." From behind his back, he brought out a huge bouquet of wildflowers.

"Eric, these are beautiful, please come in and I will put these in some water. Thank you!"

"You're welcome. I like your place. It's cute and totally fits your style."

I laughed, "Thanks, but Ames is the detail girl. I think she just brings me along so I can keep her moving. One time she spent over a half hour deciding on two different shower curtains! I had left her on the aisle to pick up a few other things, and when I went to find her, she was still there! Now it's a joint effort, she picks out what she likes and I keep her to only to a few choices. I had to implement the 'if it's in the cart, she has to buy it' rule."

Eric laughed. "How's that working for you?"

"Actually pretty well, she knows once it touches the inside of the cart, the choice is over. She sticks to it, most of the time" I chuckled.

"So, I brought along some ideas Pam and I had put together, do you want to look at them now or wait for Amelia?"

"Let's wait for Ames, come on, I want to give you the tour. It's not much, but my favorite part of the apartment is off of my room."

He quirked an eyebrow, "Oh, really now."

"Hey, get your head out of the gutter, it's not like that. I have a balcony off my room, which has a great view. Come on, I'll show you."

"Lead the way!"

We walked around the small space that is my apartment, and I waited to show him the balcony for last. I had hoped we could sit and talk until Pam and Amelia came for dinner. When we got to my room, he came up behind me and spun me around. He planted a sweet kiss on my lips. I could feel my insides burning. When he pulled away, I pulled him to me and continued the kiss.

"Sookie," He said in a husky voice, "You are an amazing kisser."

I giggled, "Just because I am a virgin, doesn't mean I don't know how to kiss!" I winked at him and headed for the balcony. "Well, here it is, my favorite space in this apartment."

Amelia had gotten me a glider rocker for two, last year for my birthday. We also, on clearance, got a small bistro set, too. I loved my little corner. Eric sat with me on the glider and pulled me to him so my head was resting on his shoulder.

"Now, where were we last night? Oh, I remember, someone was trying to keep me on the phone late asking all kinds of questions." He said sarcastically.

I sat up to look him in the eye, "I have no idea what you mean!" I giggled and winked.

When I sat back against him, he kissed the top of my head before saying, "I believe you were asking about college. Well, after I left home at 18, I knew that my parents 'trust fund' would not follow me. However, my grandparents had made it quite clear to my parents, that even if I left before they deemed me ready, my education would be paid. So I decided to stay in New Orleans and go to Tulane. I started helping out at the karate school when I was in high school and it was my only source of income. I knew that the owners didn't have a lot of money, so I offered to live in the apartment upstairs in exchange for less pay. They owned the building but never could keep tenants upstairs. I mean, if I wasn't involved in karate, I don't think I would be very excited to live above a school. I didn't have a car, so I was glad that the school was close to campus, I could walk or catch the bus."

"Your parents actually cut you off and weren't going to pay for school? That's harsh. Did you get any scholarships to help with tuition? I'm so glad my Gran pushed me to work hard in school, I was able to get almost a full scholarship. That helped us out so much."

"Why only 'almost'? "

"After my 'almost rape', I was really hesitant to start school right after high school. Gran had talked to the Dean of Admissions and she totally understood my hesitance, so she let me take a few on-line courses until I was ready to come full-time on campus. It took me two years to feel comfortable enough to start full-time. But I'm glad I waited, it has meant so much more being just a tad older than the rest of the kids. I wasn't caught up in partying. I enrolled in a five year dual degree in Marketing and Business."

"I envy your drive Sookie, I wish I hadn't partied as much my first year, I almost failed out. It took Pam coming to join me at Tulane for me to pull my head out of my ass. She was always very driven and she refused to let me slide. We both had a knack with numbers so we majored in Business with a concentration in Finance. I went on to get my MBA in Business Management. During our time at Tulane, our parents died in the accident, and we thought at the time that we would never see any of their money. As it turns out, Mr. Burnham convinced my dad to put a death clause in their will. So, we inherited quite the fortune at 21. When we graduated, I was 25 and Pam was 24, we spent the next year in a drunken party haze. When I met you last year, we had only been on the straight path for just over a year. I wanted to ask you out then, but Pam told me to get my shit together before I started dating again. Sometimes my baby sister has a few good ideas. I don't think you would have liked me much last year. I was still very cocky and arrogant. I did a lot of growing up in the past year."

Just then my cell phone rang, alerting me to the time. I set the time so I wouldn't forget to put the lasagna in the oven at 4pm. I pulled Eric by the hand and said, "Come help me get dinner in the oven. I still have to frost the cake, it should be cool by now."

"You made dessert too? Sookie, I could get used to home cooked meals and dessert every night. Can I move you in with me and you can cook me dinner every night?"

I blushed, but knew he was joking. "I won't lie and say that it isn't tempting, but I kinda like where I live now. But I suppose you can come over for dinner anytime you want. My kitchen is always open to guests."

I checked the cakes and sure enough, they were cool enough to frost. I took them from the pans and set up to make my double decker, double chocolate cake. "Gran taught me how to make this when I was 5. I loved to sit with her and bake. I even had my own set of measuring spoons and bowls. She had gotten me an Easy Bake Oven, but I wanted to cook with her using the real oven, not a light bulb!"

"You know, I am looking forward to meeting your Gran. She sounds like a wonderful woman. I did ask Pam if she wanted to come along, but she is going to New York City. Sophie, you remember from the Quinn story, called her and they are going to watch the parade from her loft and then go shopping on Friday. Will we drive down that day or should we book a hotel?"

"I'm so glad you want to come along! I know Gran will want to meet you. We can drive down in the morning and come back after dinner. It's only about an hour drive from here."

While Eric helped me with the cake, the lasagna was cooking and before we knew it, Amelia was coming in the door with Pam on her heels. Eric helped me set the table and we all sat down to eat. Conversation was flowing and I know that Amelia and I had lots of questions for them.

Amelia started, "So, Sookie and I have some questions about the project. My dad has given us money for the renovations and buying equipment we will need, but I wanted to ask you about the pool. Since it wasn't in our original plan, would you consider helping us with retiling?"

Eric took a sip of his sweet tea before he spoke, "I had thought of that, we have a few tile companies who are interested in the job, but I don't see a problem with us covering that cost. I insist that you and Sookie decide the design. Make it flow with the rest of your plan."

I wanted to address the issue of us paying rent or a portion of our profits, but was unsure how to do it. I figured just getting over with it would be best. "Eric, Pam, I know you told us that we can have the space for no rent, but I am not really comfortable with that. I know Amelia's dad is giving us money to get started and somehow we will pay him back. But I don't want to take any handouts from you. Please let us either pay rent or give you a portion of our profits."

"Sookie," Eric said, "It's not about the money, we have more money that we know what to do with. I won't take any of your money. I'm staying firm on that."

I could feel my insides getting hot, I did not want to fight with them on this, but it isn't fair for us not to pay. Before I could protest, Pam jumped in, "Sookie, Amelia, I know you are both very proud women and I understand where you are coming from. But I want to suggest a compromise. What if you were to give us 5% of your earnings each month, we will keep them in a separate account, and then at the end of the year, we make a donation to the charity of your choice in your name? That way everybody wins!"

I turned to Amelia to see what she thought, she shrugged and nodded. "I guess that would be ok, as long as it's ok with you guys."

Eric smiled and answered, "Yes, I believe my sister has come up with a great plan. When would you like to get started? I can have our lawyer draw up some official documents, because I know you both want them, as early as tomorrow. Amelia, when can your dad get you the money?"

"I talked to him earlier today, he said whenever we are ready, he would give us access to the account the money is in. I have drawn up some ideas that I had, I think we can start to develop a solid idea of what we want to do and possibly start right after we graduate. Sook, does that sound good to you?"

I nodded, "Yes, Amelia, that should work out nicely. We have two weeks until Thanksgiving, then when we get back, I think we have a week and a half of classes and then finals week. That should give us plenty of time to get set."

Amelia helped me clear the table while Eric brought in dessert. As usual, I got lots of raves on my lasagna and my cake. We sat around talking a little while longer until Pam asked Amelia if she wanted to go out dancing. They took off quickly, leaving Eric and I alone. I was not nervous at all to be alone with him, I felt very comfortable with him. We went back to my balcony to enjoy the warm November night. He had grabbed the quilt off the back of the couch on the way, and as we sat down, he pulled the quilt over us. I laid my head on his shoulder and enjoyed just being with him.

We sat and rocked a while when Eric cleared his throat to ask, "So, Sookie, am I still able to take you out on Wednesday? You are working tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, and yes. I do work tomorrow night, I guess we should let Sensei Bill know that we will no longer need to work with him after we graduate. I will be so happy when that day comes, he is nice, but he can be kind of overwhelming."

Eric hugged me to him and kissed the top of my head. "Very soon you will not have to deal with him. Why not just tell him you will work until Thanksgiving? That way when you come back, you can focus on finals. So on Wednesday, can I pick you up from campus? We can head out on our date from there. First stop will be lunch, but the rest of the day is a surprise."

I giggled, "I think I can handle that. I think I like that idea of telling Bill we will only work until Thanksgiving, thanks! You know, if you show up on campus, you might have all the girls chasing after you. Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Oh, Sookie, they can look all they want, but I will be there to pick up my girlfriend, so I won't even pay attention to them."

"Yeah, wait, you want me to be your girlfriend?"

"Yes, of course I do. Would you like to be my girlfriend?"

"Yes, Yes I would."

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A/N: Please review, I am loving writing this story. My goal is to have Eric "pop" Sookie's cherry, but where and when should that happen? I can't wait to hear your thoughts!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I don't own any of these characters, CH does.

I can't believe I am on Chapter 6 already!! It's a little shorter than the others, but hopefully you enjoy! Thank you to everyone who has made this story a favorite and commented on it. It means so much to me!

Once again I must thank my beta Northwoman, she rocks and keeps me on target. Any mistakes after she's done working her magic, are all mine.

On with the story!

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Chapter 6

When my alarm went off Tuesday morning, I woke up with a smile on my face. Eric had asked me to be his girlfriend. And I said yes, of course! I wouldn't get to see him today, but I knew we would talk on the phone. Amelia was eagerly waiting to find out what happened after she and Pam had left last night. I had my own questions for her as well.

"Morning Ames! How was dancing with Pam?"

"Oh, it was fun, but I want to hear about your night Sook! What did you do after we left? HMMM?" She laughed and winked.

"Amelia! You know me better than that. But he did ask me to be his girlfriend!"

She squealed and hugged me so tight I thought my ribs would break. "Sookie, I am so happy for you, you did say yes didn't you?"

"Of course I did!! Oh, before I forget, Eric is coming with us to Gran's for Thanksgiving, but Pam will be in NYC."

"Yea, she told me last night. No worries though, we will still have fun with Eric. Speaking of which, have you told Gran he's coming yet?"

"Oh, my God Amelia! I totally forgot to call her! I'm surprised she hasn't called me yet. You know I always call her on Sunday, after she's out of church. I better call her now."

I walked into my room to get my phone to call Gran, when I noticed a missed text. It was from Eric; it said, "Thinking of you, have a great day, call me after work. E"

That made my heart swell, I quickly replied; "Thanks, you too, talk to you later. S"

I quickly dialed Gran hoping I wasn't going to wake her up. The phone rang twice before I heard a familiar comforting voice. "Hello?"

"Hey, Gran!"

"Sookie, dear, is everything alright?"

"Yes, of course it is, I just didn't call you on Sunday and I felt bad. I hope you weren't worried."

I bit my lip nervously, awaiting Gran's reaction. "You worry too much about me child. Maxine had me over for lunch after church and when I got home, I took a nap. So I would have missed your call anyways. Now, tell me what's new with you dear."

"Well, we had our tournament on Saturday. I actually beat out Amelia for first place! I was so excited....._andImetaguy_."

I heard Gran chuckle. "That's wonderful news Sookie! I'm so proud of you. Now tell me about this boy."

"Well, his name is Eric, he is 28, he owns a hotel in Shreveport, plus many other businesses. He lost his parents when he was in college. His sister, Pam is a year younger than him, and they are helping us get our business started when we graduate. The lower level of their hotel is currently vacant, so we are going to turn it into our day spa and gym. Oh, and there is a pool too. We are so excited to get started! Oh, and he is a black belt like me, that's how we met. He also won first place in his divisions."

"That's wonderful dear, when do I get to meet this young man?"

"Actually, that's why I was calling. I invited him to come to Thanksgiving dinner with us, I hope you don't mind."

"Oh nonsense, you know I love a full house for the Holidays. He is more than welcome, is Amelia still coming?"

"Yes, Gran it will be the three of us driving down for the day. Now, what do you want me to bring?"

"Just yourselves. If you come early enough, you can help with the pies. I'll have Jason peel the potatoes on Wednesday."

I snorted thinking of Jason getting the fun job of peeling potatoes. "Ok, Gran, I have to get to class. I love you."

"Have a good day, dear, I love you too."

We headed out to class and to say that the day dragged, was an understatement! I was never so happy to see Amelia waiting for me at her car at noon. We got in and headed for home. I remembered what Eric had said about working and I wanted to tell Amelia.

"Ames, I forgot to tell you, Eric made a suggestion for us to give Bill our two week notice tonight. That way we can go home for Thanksgiving and when we get back, we can concentrate on finals and getting the business running. I don't think Bill will be thrilled, but honestly, I don't care."

"That's a great idea! I'm so glad he suggested it. You are right though, Bill will be pissed. But like you said, I don't care either. Let's get home and type up our letters. I can't wait to see the look on his face when we give them to him!"

Amelia and I typed our letters, had some lunch and worked on some ideas for the spa side of the project. Before we knew it, it was time to get to work. I was sad to say goodbye to some of my students, the kids were so cute and just loved us. Bill on the other hand, I could do without. His reaction was exactly like we figured. He wasn't happy, but he really didn't say much about it. We worked for free so we could take a few classes. All he could say was, "Well after your last day, you will have to pay if you want to train here." And he walked away. Good riddance Bill Compton!

When we got home after work, we were both so exhausted, Bill had made us work harder than ever. I know he only did it because we are leaving. So not fair. I texted Eric and told him as much. I apologized and told him to meet me by the main entrance to the Library at noon. He replied that he was sorry about Bill and to sleep well and he'd see me tomorrow.

I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Before I knew it, my alarm was going off. I jumped out of bed knowing that in a few short hours, I would see Eric again. I showered quickly and headed out to the kitchen for my morning coffee. Amelia was waiting for me, as usual.

"Good Morning, did you sleep well? I know I don't remember much, but I know as soon as my head hit the pillow I was dead to the world. Bill was a jerk to us last night. I almost want to not show up just to piss him off. I mean, really, what will he do?"

I snorted and sipped my coffee. "I'm not really sure, but I was so tired last night too. At least we made it to the bed and didn't fall on the floor! I will think on the 'not showing up thing', we could say we are sick and highly contagious!"

"That might work, I'll work on it. So what are you doing for your date today?"

"I have no idea. All I know is that he is picking me up at the Library today at noon, we are headed to lunch and the rest is a surprise."

"Hmm, well, what should you wear? Did he give you a clue?"

"Nope, I guess I will go with jeans, and a nice t-shirt. I'll wear my sandals, but I will bring my sneakers and leave them in your car, just in case."

"That sounds fine to me. Let's get headed to school, the sooner we get there, the sooner you can see Eric." She winked at me as she grabbed her bag.

On the drive over to campus, I noticed Amelia was headed for the library. "Ames, why are you parking here?"

"Since you are leaving your sneakers in my car, I thought I would make it easier for you if you needed to change. Eric is meeting you here right?"

"Well, yes, but..."

"But, nothing Sookie! I won't get in your way, believe me, I want to see you happy as much as you want to be."

I gulped, Amelia was right, I did want to be happy. I think I could be very happy with Eric, he was smart, funny, gorgeous, and he totally seemed to like me too. Oh, how will I get through my classes today knowing he will be waiting for me?

"You're right Ames, I'm sorry I overreacted. I know you mean well. So walk with me to class? I'll buy you an iced mocha for being such a great friend?"

"Sounds good Sook, let's go! I think I might give Terry a call this afternoon too. He set up our working arrangement with Bill, so maybe he has some ideas of how to handle him. Technically, we fulfilled our commitment to Bill's school, ya know?"

"I think that's a great idea, Amelia! I am going to miss seeing Terry, he has been around us for so long, he's almost like our dad. Hey, since we don't want to train with Bill anymore, what about if we added that to our plan? Do we have room for an aerobics room? I mean with you, me and maybe even Eric, we could have our own mini school. We could teach the staff and their kids for a discounted rate!"

"Sookie, that sounds great, and yes, I think we do have space! I was going to add in an enclosed studio for later on, maybe even some yoga classes. But I really like the idea of us continuing our training, sans Bill!"

We got our coffees, and headed to class. We had our last class together today and I was getting nervous by the time that class started. I couldn't concentrate on anything the professor said. Thankfully this wasn't a science lab, I might have blown up the room!

At 11:45, we were let out a few minutes early. I vaguely remember the teacher telling us the assignment. Amelia leaned over and said, "Don't worry Sook, I took notes for both of us. I could tell you weren't paying attention." She giggled.

We headed out of class and over to the library. As we got closer I was looking around for Eric, I knew he had a Corvette, but wasn't sure if it was what he would be driving. Amelia had parked around the side of the building, and as we headed toward the front door, I saw a blond vision in jeans and a black t-shirt sitting on the bench. Eric was playing with his phone and when he looked up, the biggest smile came across his face. I smiled back and felt the blush creep up mine. He stood up as I approached him.

"Hi, Eric, have you been waiting long?" I was nervous and the butterflies in my stomach were having a race!

"Hey, Sookie, you look great, and no, I just got here. Are you ready to go?"

I could sense eyes on us, well Eric, not me. I was sure that the campus bimbos, as I called them, were staring at my man or not, but there were quite a few girls hanging around the library who I'm sure have never seen the inside of.

Eric wrapped me into a hug and gave me a kiss on the lips that could have melted snow. I asked if I would need sneakers, and since Eric was in flip flops, my sandals would do just fine.

"Yes, Eric, I am ready." I turned to Amelia, "Ames, I'll see you later right?"

"Yes, but I won't wait up for you! Oh, and I'll call Terry, see what he says. Bye you two, have fun!"

She walked away and I turned back to Eric. He grabbed ahold of my hand and started to head toward his car. I hadn't seen his car when we first got here, but I sure could see it now. My eyes widened as I took in the cherry red finish of his corvette. "Wow, Eric, your car is awesome! My brother would be drooling if he saw this!"

He chuckled, "Yeah, I get that a lot. I try to keep this car for only special occasions. My regular daily corvette is more beat up and worn in. I'm glad you like it. Let's head to lunch, shall we?"

"Of course, lead the way!"

Just as he was opening my door for me, we heard a screeching, "Eric Northman, is that you? My, my, it has been a long time!"

I heard Eric growl as he turned to see who it was. I turned and my mouth dropped at the sight in front of me.

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A/N: Sorry for the cliffy! My little guy was sick today so sleep is calling my name. Reviews make me happy and write faster! :)


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thank you to all the reviews, they are much appreciated!

As always, CH owns these characters, I'm just babysitting.

A HUGE thank you to Northwoman, who keeps me on track and focused. Any mistakes after she works her magic, are all mine.

So...let's find out who was calling after Eric!

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Chapter 7

**EPOV**

I woke up early, knowing I would get to see Sookie today. I had a lot to do before I met her at noon. First on the agenda, calling to make sure the boat was set. Some days I thanked my parents for getting all the flashy toys, and some days I cursed them. Today I was thankful that we owned a boat. I'm not sure how Sookie will react to the boat, but I was hoping that she wouldn't mind. She seemed to take the other stuff in stride.

I spoke with Barry, my boat guy, he assured me that the boat was stocked, ready and waiting for me at the marina. There was a small restaurant that was actually really good. I planned on taking Sookie to pick up lunch there, then taking the boat out for a spin. I called ahead to order an assortment of sandwiches, drinks and dessert. I wasn't sure what Sookie would like best, so it's best if I had some choices. They assured me that our lunch would be ready when we got there. With that done, I got in the shower, anxious to see my girl.

I really like Sookie, but I still feel the need to try to impress her. I'm not sure why I feel like this, but I do. I decided to pull out the 'good corvette' today. I know she wouldn't care what I drove, but since I was picking her up at LSU, I wanted to make a good impression all the way around. I kept checking the time on my phone, I didn't want to be too early, but I didn't want to be late either.

Just as I was going to head out, my cell rang. I cursed my sister for having impeccable timing. "Pam, I'm in a hurry, what do you want?"

"Oh, big brother, why so impatient? I just wanted to let you know I will be sticking around Shreveport for a bit longer. Something has come up and I am needed here."

"Something, or someone, Pam?"

She laughed, "Wouldn't you like to know? How is Sookie today? I think I really like her, Eric, she isn't like any of the other girls you dated."

"I think she is great too, Pam. Thank you for that. But I am on my way to pick her up for our date. So if you will excuse me, I'm hanging up now!"

"Fine, fine, hot to trot are we? Can we arrange dinner some night this week? I have new info on our new project. I can't wait to get started on this."

I got into my car and started it up, "Sure, why don't we plan on tomorrow night. Sookie will be working and you can have all my attention." I chuckled.

"You sneaky bastard!"

"What's that Pam?"

"Oh, nothing, just driving past the marina, and what do I see? MY boat docked there! Going for a ride are we?"

I smiled thinking about spending time with Sookie there. "Yes, Pam, I am taking Sookie out for a spin with lunch today. Can I go now? I don't want to be late picking her up."

"Yes, loverboy, carry on. I have plans too. See ya!"

I shut my phone and continued driving to the campus. I really wanted things to work with Sookie, I hope our date doesn't scare her off. I see the turn into the campus and look for signs to the Library. Surprisingly, it is easy to find. That's one of the things I like about colleges, they are designed for the dumb, signs everywhere! As I park, I see some benches in front and decide that is a great place to wait.

I started checking my messages, email and Facebook while I wait. I wasn't waiting long when I looked up and saw my blond beauty walking toward me. I stood up as she approached.

"Hi, Eric, have you been waiting long?"

"Hey, Sookie, you look great, and no, I just got here. Are you ready to go?"

I wrapped her into a hug and gave her a kiss on the lips that could have melted snow. She asked if she would be needing sneakers, and since I was in flip flops, I told her that her sandals would do just fine.

"Yes, Eric, I am ready." She turned to Amelia, "Ames, I'll see you later right?"

"Yes, but I won't wait up for you! Oh, and I'll call Terry, see what he says. Bye you two, have fun!"

I grabbed her hand and started to head toward my car. She hadn't seen my car when she first got here, but I could tell she liked what she saw! Her eyes widened as she took in the cherry red finish of my corvette.

"Wow, Eric, your car is awesome! My brother would be drooling if he saw this!"

I chuckled, "Yeah, I get that a lot. I try to keep this car for only special occasions. My regular daily corvette is more beat up and worn. I'm glad you like it. Let's head to lunch, shall we?"

"Of course, lead the way!"

Just as I was opening her door, I heard a screeching, "Eric Northman, is that you? My, my, it has been a long time!"

I growled as I turned toward the annoying voice I knew so well. I could tell that Sookie was uncomfortable, not knowing who this was. I reached for Sookie's hand, silently asking her to stand up out of the car.

"Well, this is a surprise, Eric. What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Sophie. I thought you were in New York, why are you slumming it in Louisiana?"

She laughed, I never really liked her much. Of all of Pam's friends, she was the least of my favorites. Not for any real reason, she just always seemed to be fake.

"I have some business to tend to here. Plus I wanted to see your sister!" Well that explained why Pam is sticking around.

"Sophie, I would like you to meet my girlfriend, Sookie. Sookie, this is Pam's friend, Sophie." She looked like she was trying to place the name, when it hit her, she smiled and even laughed a little.

"Hello Sophie, what brings you to LSU?"

"Well, as I told Eric, I have some business, I am an interior decorator and I was asked to come with some ideas to redo the new Dean's offices."

I gave Sookie's shoulder a squeeze, letting her know I was ready to leave. "Well, Sophie, we have plans, it was nice to see you, take care."

Sookie jumped in too, "Yes, Sophie, it was nice to meet you!"

"Ta ta, I'm sure I will be seeing you both soon!" She walked away and I helped Sookie into the car again so we could get going. We drove in silence, I could tell Sookie wanted to ask me about Sophie. I took her hand in mine, and brought it up to my mouth for a kiss. I felt her relax and she smiled.

"So, I suppose you want to know more about Sophie, huh?"

She blushed and nodded. So I continued, "Well, you remember the story I told you about Quinn getting his nickname right?" Another nod. "Sophie and Pam have a past, meaning they dated for a while, then they have been best friends ever since. Sophie has always been around us, her parents pretty much dumped her at school and took off on a world vacation. She was just as alone as Pam and I were, so we all hung out a lot. It was like having two younger sisters instead of one. I usually didn't mind it, but sometimes Sophie was a basket case about being an only child and not seeing her parents ever. Eventually I had enough and one day I told her to 'not be a whiney bitch' anymore. She has been sickly sweet to me ever since and I know how fake it is."

"Wow, Eric, that's awful. Was everyone you went to school rejected by their parents?"

I smiled, "I don't think of it as being rejected, I grew up a lot when I had to fend for myself. But, to answer your question, yes, most of the kids were sort of dropped off and didn't see their parents for months. Some took it hard, like Sophie. Others didn't really care."

She squeezed my hand and smiled, "I'm sorry, Eric, you had it rough growing up. But I think you turned out ok."

"Don't forget, you grew up without parents too. You are amazingly well adapted for not having parents around."

"I know, but I had Gran to help too. She has been amazing and so supportive in everything. I'm so glad you are going to get to meet her."

"Me too, Sookie, me too. But guess what? We are here!"

Sookie turned and looked out the car window and gasped.

**SPOV**

When Eric said we were here, I turned and gasped. "Eric, what are we doing at the Stoner Boat Launch?"

Eric smiled, "We are getting lunch and taking my boat out for a ride! You aren't afraid of boats are you?" I could tell he was teasing about that.

"Um, no, but I guess I'm just overwhelmed is all. Not in a bad way, you have so much and are freely sharing with me. Thank you, Eric. Can you teach me how to drive it?"

I was nervous to get on the boat, not because we would be alone, but that I didn't want people to think I was with him for his money. There were a few boats ready to launch, the biggest was named 'Princess'. I had to laugh, and I had to know if that was his. "Eric, is your boat named 'Princess'?"

Eric chuckled, and said, "Yes, it is. It was a gift to Pam for graduating high school. My dad always went over the top on his gifts, I guess to make up for never being around. Pam hates the boat, and will only come out here once in a while. I, on the other hand, love it! I just didn't have the heart to change the name. From what I understand, the process is easy, but I am secure in my manhood, I'll drive a boat named 'Princess' anytime."

We stopped in the marina shop to pick our lunch. Eric said he had pre-ordered our lunch and we just needed to pick it up and go. As we approached the boat, a skinny guy was coming off it.

"Oh, there you are, Mr. Northman! You are all set to take her for a spin, enjoy." And he was off.

Eric explained that this was Barry, his boat guy. He had cleaned and gassed up the boat and made sure we had everything we would need to sail. I knew nothing about boats other than the canoe and row boats we used in my parents back yard. "Um, Eric, what kind of boat is this?"

Eric helped me climb down the dock and onto the boat. In his best 'used car salesman' voice, he said, "My dear Sookie, welcome aboard the Princess. This here is a 64' Hatteras Motor Yacht. She has three bedrooms and three baths. She's cramped inside, but the deck is spacious."

I was laughing so hard at his little speech, I almost missed how beautiful it was. There was bench seating inside and outside. The kitchen was small, but really, it's a boat, it doesn't have to be big. I told Eric I was going to explore and I was off. The bedrooms were small, but again, although you didn't have much room, but what was there was just breathtaking. Each room was decorated with a different color scheme. The first I came to was done in dark blue and brown. The second was orange and cream. The last which by far was my favorite, was green and blue. I definitely liked this one the best. It was very calming. They all had what looked to be a queen size bed, built in dressers, tv's and a small bathroom. I sat on the bed just to take it all in when Eric came in.

"I see you found my room. This really is a very calming room for me." Wow, didn't I just think that?

I smiled up at Eric, "I was admiring this room, I like it the best out of all of them. Funny how we both think it's calming."

He smiled back and reached out his hand to take mine. "Come, let's get going and then I will take you for a grand tour. I will show you how to drive it, although, I am not proficient in the terminology." I followed him up so we could start the boat. "Ok, this is where I get lost, I know enough to push these few buttons here, and turn the key, and we are off!"

We slowly made it out of the marina, starting our trip on the Red River. I was so excited to be here with him. We cruised for about half an hour before we stopped. Eric said he was lowering the anchor so we could drift a little while we ate and enjoyed the sun. I went below to the galley, as Eric told me it's called, to get our lunch. I brought the bags up and set them on the table outside. We might as well get some sun while we eat.

"Eric, what did you order? There must be enough food in here to feed ten people!"

"Actually, I'm not sure what they were going to pack. I told them I was bringing my girlfriend out for the first time and to pack me an assortment of good stuff. Let's see what they gave us, shall we?"

When we started opening the containers, we had chicken salad wraps, fruit salad, chips, cookies, cheese and crackers, some iced tea, soda, and the smallest bottles of wine I have ever seen. "Oh, aren't these cute? Why are they so small?"

"They tend to sell drinks in small quantities. They think if you are going to drink, while on the boat, that they can limit the amount by making them small. Of course, you can bring your own bar essentials too. I don't like to leave anything stocked on here, it may be watched by security 24/7, but I don't want to be responsible for some kids getting stupid and drinking my liqueur and getting into trouble. We take off what we bring on."

"Sounds very responsible and adult of you Eric. Let's dig in!"

I leaned back on the seat and wanted to undo my jeans, like after Thanksgiving dinner, "Wow, I am so full! That food was amazing, thank you Eric!"

I leaned over to give him a kiss on his cheek. He wrapped his arms around me to keep me there. I was feeling very safe with him and wanted to explore. I started to kiss his cheek, then moved down to his neck. He moaned as I continued. But then he stopped and pulled away.

I felt rejected and immediately tears sprung up in my eyes. I couldn't help it, I really liked him and he didn't seem to feel the same way. I turned away from him and went to get up when two strong hands pulled me into his lap.

"Shh, my Sookie, please don't cry. I didn't pull away because I didn't want to kiss you. Believe me, I want to kiss you and do so much more with you. But I know you are inexperienced, and I don't want to push you. I want you to be comfortable."

"That's just it Eric, I am so comfortable with you. I can't explain why, but it just feels right. Can we explore a little and I will let you know when or if I am not ready?"

He kissed the remaining tears away, smiled at me and said, "I think that we can arrange that. Why don't we clean up our food and go inside. It's getting a little chilly out here and I don't want to you to catch a cold."

I rolled my eyes and laughed, he laughed too. We gathered up what was left and put it back in the fridge. The sitting/living room was as big as my apartment. There were two L-shaped couches on either side of the walls. A large flat screen television sat in an alcove. We sat down on the one couch. I really hadn't noticed how chilly it was getting out there until we came inside. I shivered, and Eric brought a blanket to wrap me in. I was wrapped in the blanket alone, and I wanted to share it with him. So I scooted out and brought it so we both could be under it.

"Now, that is better, don't you think?"

Eric wrapped his arms around me under the blanket. I snuggled into him under his arm and laid my head on his chest. I could hear his heart beating and his sounded as fast as mine did. I wanted to reach up and kiss him again, but I was nervous. I started to run my free hand up Eric's chest to his face. I turned my head toward him as I gently pulled his to me.

"Kiss me, Eric"

And he did, his kisses started soft and gentle, but soon we were getting more passionate. I didn't stop him, I was enjoying his lips on mine. His tongue was seeking entrance to my mouth, I moaned as I allowed him in. As we kissed, he moaned and his one hand went to the back on my neck, while the other went to my breast. I was surprised when his hand first found my hardened nipple, but again, I didn't stop him. My hands went to the back of his head to grab a hold of the hair at the nape of his neck. We were both moaning into each others mouth deepening the kiss.

My boldness continued as I came up on my knees and straddled his lap. He now had both of his large hands on my very hard nipples. I leaned back and let him remove my t-shirt. I heard him growl at what he saw and his mouth went to the flesh that was at the top of my lacy bra. His kisses were sensual and gentle. I felt very comfortable being half naked in front of him. He kept one hand on my breast as he explored with his mouth. In between he would lift his head to mine and kiss me more deeply than before.

We continued until we were panting and out of breath. Eric brought both his hands to my face, making sure I could see him when he spoke. "Sookie, you are so beautiful. Your kisses are amazing. But I think we should stop. I am very much aroused and I don't want you to do something that will make you uncomfortable. Believe me when I say that I do not want to stop. He placed another sweet kiss on my lips and pulled my entire body in for a hug.

We stayed wrapped in each others arms for quite a while. I was so comfy that I didn't realize that I had dozed off. When I came to, Eric was still holding me the same way. He kissed my forehead as he said, "Hey sleepy. Did I wear you out?" He chuckled.

I realized that I had fallen asleep. Embarrassed that I had drooled on him, I pulled back as gasped. "I'm so sorry Eric! I didn't mean to fall asleep!"

"Relax, it's ok, you only slept about 15 minutes. Besides, I enjoyed holding you. This does feel right, you and me. I don't think I can explain it, but I am so happy to be here with you."

I blushed realizing that I was still shirtless. Eric seemed to catch on, because my shirt was in his hands in no time. I pulled it on quickly and started to move from his lap. He stopped me; he didn't want to end our contact either. Unfortunately his pockets had other ideas for us. He was buzzing. Confused, we looked at each other and said, "Cellphone" And we laughed as I climbed off but stayed right next to him. He flipped out his phone.

**EPOV**

"Hello?"

"Eric, it's Alcide, we have a huge problem here. How soon can you get back here?"

"I wasn't planning on being back until Sunday, why what's going on?"

"When I got to the school today, something seemed off. I smelled some strange odor and I went to see what it was. I ended up in the apartment above the school, there was a meth lab there! Totally abandoned and a hot plate was left on. I ran out and called 911 but before they could get there, the whole apartment blew up and the school was engulfed in flames. I'm so sorry man, I tried to save as much as I could. There isn't much left."

"Alcide, was anyone hurt?"

"No"

"Ok, then, it can be replaced, I don't blame you for this. That is why we have insurance. Who was using the apartment?"

"That's the thing, nobody was. We were using it for storage. I try to get up there at least once a week just to make sure things are ok. I know you did too. But I haven't been up there since you left and with Maria and I trying to get ourselves settled, it wasn't priority. I'm not even sure who has keys."

I sighed, I knew who had keys and I was pretty sure I could narrow it down to who was up there. "Alcide, I will be down tomorrow, ok? Don't worry, you are not at fault. Call Russell, I will text you his number. Let him know what is going on, he has some space in his gym that he doesn't use, we should be able to use that temporarily until we can figure out a long term plan."

"Ok, man, thanks. See you tomorrow."

I hung up and relayed everything to Sookie. "Thankfully, no one was in the school when it happened. I will have to leave earlier than planned, but I will be back very soon."

She said, "I know, I'm just glad that everyone is ok. I know how much time and effort you put into that school, only to have it all gone."

"You amaze me, my Sookie! You are always thinking of everyone else. I gave Alcide the name of a friend who has a gym nearby and I'm sure he will let them use the space. Classes may be interrupted for a day, tops. My only worry is leaving you. I may have to be gone longer then I planned to get all this settled."

She smiled at me and kissed my cheek. "I understand, Eric. Do you think you will be back for Thanksgiving?"

"Even if I am not done with things, I will be back, I won't miss meeting Gran!" I hugged her to me. She smiled and then helped me clean up so we could head back. I made calls to Pam, letting her know what happened and that I was leaving. I called my lawyer and he was already working on things. Our trip back to the marina was quiet, but not uncomfortable.

After docking, Sookie and I headed out, I didn't want to let her go just yet, but I knew the sooner I left, the sooner I could get back. During the drive back to her place, I needed to let her know some things.

"Sookie, while I am gone, I am going to pack up my stuff so I won't have to leave you again. I want you to know how much you mean to me. Everyday I find it harder to leave you. I know we have only been together for a short time, but I really think I might be falling in love with you." I didn't want to look at her, for fear of rejection. It's stupid, I know, we have only really known each other for a short time, but I can't hide my feelings.

I heard sniffles, and when I looked over, she was crying. She grabbed my hand as she said, "Oh, Eric, that is the nicest thing anyone has said to me, ever. I feel the same way about you! I was nervous to say something to you, but it feels like we have been together so much longer. I can't wait for you to meet Gran, and if you need anything while you are gone, I'm just a phone call away."

We were soon at her apartment and I got out to walk her up. I knew we would talk as often as we could, and come hell or high water, I was coming back to be with her on Thanksgiving. Hopefully I could get everything settled before that, but I know enough to be practical. I held her tight and kissed her softly.

This was going to be the longest drive to New Orleans, ever.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews, it warms my heart to see them!

Thanks to my beta Northwoman, I can load this up tonight. Any mistakes after she works her magic, are all my own.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, just playing with them.

Chapter 8

As Amelia and I headed to campus for our last day of classes before Thanksgiving break, I was lost in my own thoughts of the past two weeks. I, of course, talked to Eric every day, and he was up to his eyeballs with police investigations and insurance companies.

As it turns out, the person who had caused this mess, was wanted by the FBI for drug trafficking! One of his students, Victor, had gotten caught up in it and was the one who came forward with the information. Victor had mentioned in passing to a friend that the upstairs of the karate school was used only for storage, and that the owner was going to be out of town for a week. He didn't know that his friend, Felipe would break in and set up a meth lab. Felipe was a fugitive from Argentina and was on the FBI's most wanted list.

I was broken out of my daydream when Amelia asked, "Sook, are you sure Gran won't mind Quinn coming to Thanksgiving dinner?"

Quinn was back in town and seeing Amelia. I guess his plans with his sister were not as solid as he had thought. She wasn't excited about staying in Vegas, and wanted to return to the East Coast. So we had one more to add for dinner at Gran's.

I sighed, "Ames, when have you ever known Gran to turn someone away from food?"

She smiled, "You're right, I know you are, but I don't want her to think any less of us. I mean, we meet these guys and after a month, we bring them home for Thanksgiving! Are you sure?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot, you went to Paris with your dad the year Jason brought home half the LSU football team! I mean really Ames, I was sitting at the coffee table because Gran said I had to be a good hostess and give up my seat!" I said sarcastically.

Amelia laughed, "Oh, I bet they all thought you were the gracious southern hostess."

I rolled my eyes, "Why, yes, Miss Broadway, I was so gracious! Please, I was so irritated at my brother, I just wanted to scream!"

We laughed as we parked the car and headed to classes. We planned to meet up for our last class and then head home. As I approached my classroom, I noticed a note taped to the door. It read, 'Class cancelled, have a great break'. "Well, shit!"

Since I had time to kill, I wandered outside to enjoy the cooling air. I wanted to call Eric, but wasn't sure where he might be right now. But I thought if I could just leave a message, he would know that I was thinking about him. So as the phone rang, I waited to get his voicemail, but he picked up.

"Hello?"

"Oh, hey, Eric, I was going to leave you a message. I'm not bothering you, am I?"

"Not at all, Sookie. I'm glad you called. Wait, don't you have class now?"

I groaned, "Cancelled."

"Oh, well, that's good for me, cause I get to talk to you then right?"

"Well, I guess it is! So tell me what's going on, any new updates?"

"Yes, I do have some news! The lawyers finished the paperwork, so the school now officially belongs to Alcide. I still own the land, but he can start planning on his design and rebuild as soon as the demolition is done."

"Wow, Eric, that is great, but how does that work with insurance and stuff if he now owns the building?"

"Actually, a lot easier than you think. Since the paperwork was already drawn up to sign it over, I just dealt with the insurance first, then signed it over and gave him the insurance check. I also told him that I would give him money for whatever the check didn't cover."

"That's extremely generous of you, you know."

"Well, what can I say, I'm a generous kind of guy!"

We both laughed. During our talks over the past two weeks, we really got to know each other better talk about each other so much. It has been rough not seeing each other, but I don't blame him for what happened. I feel really bad and wish I was done with school so I could be there and help him. We even came up with a silly game to play so we could try to keep his mind off of the problems he was facing. We would think of something to ask each other, write it down on paper and put it into a bowl or cup. Each day we would pick one thing out and that would be our topic of the day. We ranged from favorite foods, to movies, to family stuff.

"So, I picked out 'family stuff' today. Are you excited to meet Gran and Jason?"

He chuckled, "More than you know, Sookie. Hey, I'm not gonna get grilled by either, am I?"

I had to laugh at that, I could picture Jason sitting on the porch when we got there cleaning his Benelli. "No, I don't think so, Jason might try to embarrass me, but Gran will want to hear more about you. She loves to read about places she has never been, so just talk about Sweden and she will be putty in your hands."

"Hmmm, what do I need to do to make you putty in my hands?" I blushed and I think he could tell through the phone because I got quiet. "Shit, Sook, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"No, I'm fine, Eric, I kinda liked it. I guess I just really miss you, and can't wait to see you. Speaking of which, when do you plan to get back?"

"I am all packed and ready, I was going to head over to Alcide's to see if he needed anything else before I took off. Then I was planning on hitting the road, so I should be there around dinner time if traffic cooperates. Why don't I meet you at the karate school and we can do something after?"

"That's a great idea, but Amelia and I are done working, so I will be free when you get here."

"Did something happen? Did Compton give you guys a hard time again?"

"No, actually, he gave us all the night off! He was planning on visiting his old girlfriend in Seattle, but he could only get a flight out this morning, so he cancelled classes and told us to have a great time and good luck with our adventures."

"Really?"

"Yeah, we were shocked to say the least. He has been much nicer to us after Terry talked to him. I think Bill is afraid of Terry, so that works in our favor. When I talked to Terry, I told him about our idea of offering classes at the gym, and he was excited for us."

"That's great! Why don't you head over to the hotel and meet me there. I assume that Amelia and Quinn have been spending lots of time together, right? We can all meet up and figure it out from there."

"Yes, you know Quinn, he and Amelia haven't spent much time apart since he came back. I'm happy for them, but I have been a little jealous of the time they spend together. Would it be ok if we just stayed in, just me and you tonight?"

"That sounds perfect. I will call you when I am close, and I can pick up some take out and we can relax with each other. I'll see you soon my sweet Sookie."

"Bye, Eric, see you soon."

No sooner did I hang up with Eric, that my phone rang again. I thought it might be Eric again, but the caller ID made my stomach drop. "Hi Jas, what's up?"

"Hi Sookie, listen, I need to talk to you."

"Jason, I will be home in two days, can it wait until then?"

"No, not really, I need your help. I'm totally freaking out and I don't know what to do!"

"Ok, ok, calm down and tell me what's going on."

"Well, I have been seeing this girl, Crystal, for a while and I really think she might be the one for me," I rolled my eyes, my brother thinks every girl is 'the one'. "So, I thought I would bring her for Thanksgiving dinner to meet everyone, and when I asked her, she blurted out that she was pregnant. I don't know what to do now!"

I laughed to myself, "Jas, I hate to ask, but I know your reputation, are you sure it's yours?"

"Shit, Sookie, I didn't even think of that! But still what do I do?"

"Ok, let me ask you a few questions, do you love her?"

"I think so, we've been together for six months, that's a long time for me."

"You're right about that, have you met her family? What does she do?"

"She is from Hot Shots, and I have met her family, they are a little strange, but seem really nice. She works at the Middle School in the office, that's how I met her. I had gone in over at the end of May to get some stuff settled for summer try-outs and fall sports and she was there. We just hit it off. And I swear, I ain't been with anyone other than her since we started seeing each other."

"Wow, impressive, Jason. So are you freaking out because she's pregnant, or because you really like her and this might push you to grow up and settle down?"

"That's what I don't know, I really like her, even maybe love her, and I always wanted to be a dad, I just thought it would come later in life."

"Jesus, Jason, you're going to be 29 years old! I think it's about time to grow up! Does Gran know about any of this?"

"No, I haven't told her about any of it. She knows I have been seeing her, and she sounded happy that I have been with her for a while now. Do you think she will freak out about the baby?"

"I'm not sure Jason, but I do know that she will want you to take responsibility and be a good father. You know what it's like to grow up without a dad. Do you really want a kid to grow up like we did?"

"No, Sook, of course not. I'll think about all this and we can talk more when you come home. By the way, who's coming with you?"

"Well, it's going to be me and Amelia, and my boyfriend Eric, and Amelia's boyfriend Quinn. We invited Eric's sister, but she's going to New York with a friend."

I knew that my 'big brother' would come out at the sound of boyfriend. "Sook, when did you get a boyfriend? Do I have to talk to him about how to treat you?"

"What the hell Jason! You should talk, at least I'm not bringing my pregnant girlfriend home to meet Gran! You know damn well that I haven't dated in a while, and for your information, he makes me feel safe and happy. I think you could learn a few things from him!"

"You're right sis, I'm sorry. I'll see you on Thursday. Bye."

I hung up and noticed the time, I had only ten minutes until my next class. I left to meet up with Amelia. When I got there, she noticed my sour mood, so I told her everything that happened with Jason and that we were supposed to meet up with the guys later. We talked a bit more through class and laughed about all of Jason's conquests through the years. Before we knew it, class was over and we headed. I was upset with Jason, but Eric was coming home and I didn't want my brother to ruin my night. I was actually getting excited to see Eric again.

Amelia came into my room, "Hey, Sook, do you want to pack a bag and plan on staying the night with the guys? I was planning on staying with Quinn, so I thought I would mention it to you too. I don't want to pressure you, but I wanted to give you the heads up."

I smiled at Amelia, "I think I will pack a bag and then see where things go. Thanks Ames."

Amelia sat on my bed, she looked concerned, she asked, "Sook, look I don't want to pry, but do you have plans to sleep with Eric at some point? I mean, you guys are great together, and I want you both to be happy."

I sighed and sat down next to her, "I have been thinking about it, a lot actually. I'm nervous but I want to experience it with him. I really like him even to a point of possibly being in love with him. I just don't know when is the perfect time. Well, let me rephrase that, I know it's never going to be the perfect time, but I want it to be special."

She was so excited she was bouncing, "Oh, Sookie, I think you need to talk to him, let him know what you want and what you are afraid of, I think he will be more than understanding."

"I will talk to him tonight, I know things got heated before he left and he stopped on my account. Would it be wrong of me to sleep with him for the first time and then take him home to Gran the next day?"

Amelia squealed and ran out of her room telling me to stay put for a minute. When she came back, she handed me some square foil packets.

"Amelia! What are you doing?"

"Put them in your purse Sook, just in case, ok?"

"Alright, I will but I'm not promising anything. Come on, lets get going."

We headed out to the car and out our bags in the trunk. I knew I had to talk to Eric, I don't know how to explain it, but it just felt right. Maybe I could do this, I mean it's not like I am a teenager any longer. I'm an adult, and I want to have sex with my boyfriend. I smiled all the way to the hotel.

When we got there, my phone rang, it was Eric, "Hey beautiful, I'm almost there, I'm going to stop and pick up some chinese, how does that sound?"

"Hi, Eric, that sounds great, get enough for Amelia and Quinn too, and, I can't wait to see you." I blushed.

"Of, course, I will get more than enough! And I miss you too, see you in about a half hour."

I hung up and turned to Amelia and Quinn, "Oh, I guess we are all eating together, is that ok with you?"

Amelia, saved me, "Yes, of course it is, let's head up and wait for Eric."

Quinn tossed Amelia his key, "Here, Babe, take the key, I'm gonna wait for Eric to help carry up dinner."

Amelia smiled and took the key. We headed up the elevator and Amelia turned to me, "OK, I know that look, you are going to sleep with him aren't you?"

I blushed, "I haven't totally made up my mind yet, but if it happens, it happens."

We shared a girly squeal and headed up to wait for our guys.

Dinner was awesome, and not just because of the company. Eric swept me into a huge hug and kiss when he got there. The four of us sat around and talked for a few hours, laughing so hard, my face was hurting. After a while, Amelia and Quinn left to go have some alone time, Eric and I were alone too. I wanted to talk to him about us sleeping together, but was very nervous.

Eric could sense that I was nervous about something, but didn't know what. "Hey, what has you so tense all of a sudden?"

I tried to smile, but it came off as more of a grimace, "I wanted to talk to you about something, but I don't know how."

"Sookie, you know you can say anything, what's going on in your head?" He said as he kissed my temple and rubbed my back soothingly.

"Um, well" I took a big breath in and blew it out, "I wanted to talk to you about us sleeping together."

"Sweetie, I have no intention to push you, we will when you are ready."

"That's just it, I think I am ready, now. But, I'm so nervous and scared that I will not do something right. Will you help me?"

"Oh, Honey, of course I will. I have to say, I am really excited and a bit nervous too. I want this to be special for you. We don't have to rush into anything tonight, were you planning on staying here for the night?"

I blushed, "Yes, I had planned on it, if that's ok with you?"

He kissed my temple again and hugged me to him, "Yes, I want nothing more than for you to be here with me tonight. How about this, will you sleep in my room tonight? Nothing more than sleep. I promise I will be on my best behavior, I just want to hold you. I missed you so much while I was gone."

"Yes, Eric, I will stay with you. I missed you so much, too. I have to admit, waking in your arms sounds awesome!"

"Come with me, it's been a long day and I want to enjoy holding you in my bed before I pass out."

I smiled, and got up to follow him to his room. This was going to be a very nice night.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Ok, so I am extremely nervous to hear what you think of this chapter, it was very hard to write. In fact, I have put it off all week just because I knew how hard it was. I'm biting my nails to see what you think.

As always, Thank You to my amazing beta, Northwoman, she rocks!

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Chapter 9

As I tried to turn over, I felt like my blanket was wrapped way too tight around me. When my brain caught up with me, I realized that it wasn't a blanket, it was Eric. He was spooned up behind me with an arm draped over my waist hugging my body. I smiled thinking to myself, 'I slept in bed with Eric!'

My brain also let me know that I had to use the bathroom and I tried to wiggle out of his embrace. He must have felt me move, because his arm was pulling me closer to him. I heard him mumble, "No, stay with me."

"Eric, I have to pee, please let me up. I will come right back, I promise."

I got a lazy, "OK"

When I got into the bathroom, I had a mini meltdown, I wasn't sure if I could seduce Eric or not. Well, I'm sure I could, I just didn't know how, plus I didn't want him to laugh at me. After I did my business, I washed my hands and brushed my teeth. Nothing worse than morning breath. As I fidgeted around a bit, I realized I was being naive and I just needed to go out there and start. I'm sure he will catch on once I do. "Here goes nothing!"

I walked out and climbed back into bed. I had brought along my favorite sleep set, shorts and a cami. Eric was just in lounge pants. I have to say, I have never slept so well in my life. I wasn't sure if it was the bed or who was in the bed.

As I tried to snuggle back into Eric's arms, I stopped to just look at him. He really was very good looking. Hell, who I am I trying to kid, this man was gorgeous! I had just gotten settled when I felt him move again. "MMM, I like waking up to you in my bed."

"Morning Eric."

In his groggy morning voice, "Wait, don't wake me up just yet, I was having this amazing dream. I fell asleep holding onto the most beautiful woman. I don't want it to end."

I giggled, he was so cute. "Wake up silly, you slept with me last night. And who is this beautiful woman? Should I be jealous?"

He lazily opened his eyes; I was staring into his cerulean blue eyes. He smiled at me and kissed my nose. "Good morning beautiful! How did you sleep?"

"Like the dead, Eric! I can't decide if the bed is the cause, or the company in the bed with me. Either way, I slept great, how about you?"

"I haven't ever slept better in this bed than I did last night. It must be you. Stay with me every night, please?" He whined.

I pushed on his shoulder playfully, "You know we can't do that, right Eric?"

"Why not? You said yourself that you have never slept better. I could totally get used to this." He kissed my forehead, "be right back, my turn in the bathroom." With that, he jumped off the bed and went into the bathroom.

I waited for him, my inner vixen was screaming at me to just take my clothes off and wait under the covers for him. But could I be so bold? No, I wanted him to get the pleasure of undressing me. So I waited. He took far less time than I did, but then again, he's done this before, I have not.

When he emerged, I got a good look at his naked upper body. His shoulders were rippling with muscle, his arms were sculpted to perfection, and his six pack abs were to die for! He was like walking sex! He caught me ogling him and raised an eyebrow to me. "See something you like?"

I blushed and hid under the covers. I let out a little screech when he jumped onto the bed to tickle me. He found every spot I was ticklish in and then some. We laughed together as we tried to out tickle each other. He abruptly stopped when I leaned over to kiss him.

His lips were warm, and I could taste the mint from the toothpaste he used. My tongue darted out seeking entrance to his mouth. He happily obliged with a moan of satisfaction. My hands started roaming around his broad chest as his hands went to my waist to keep me where I was. His skin was so soft, yet hard and toned at the same time. Our kisses deepened, as he moved us so he was hovering over me. He was leaning on his side propped up on his elbow. My hands went to his neck and entwined in his hair there. He pulled away when he sensed we both needed air.

"Sookie" He said breathlessly. "I don't think I can stop myself if we don't stop."

I kissed him again and said, "Then don't!"

"What are you saying Sweetie?"

"I'm saying,..... that I don't want you to stop. I want this, Eric."

He sat up and pulled me up with him. We were sitting facing each other on his bed. He took my hands in his and looked into my eyes. "Sookie, are you sure?"

I smiled at him and gave his hands a squeeze. "I am totally sure, Eric. I have been thinking a lot about this and I just know it's the right thing to do. Of course, I am nervous, but I am not afraid. I know you won't hurt me."

With that, I straddled Eric's lap and resumed our kissing. My hands, again, found his chest and arms, while he fondled my breasts. As our kiss deepened, his hand rubbed my hardened nipple and began to roll it in between his thumb and finger. I have never felt so turned on before in my life. This sensation was overwhelming, and I wanted more!

"Take it off." I breathed.

"What?"

"My shirt, Eric, take it off please."

He did as I asked and gently lifted my cami off over my head. Where it landed, I don't know, and I really didn't care. He turned us around again so I was underneath him and he was propped on his elbows. His eyes went wide and I blushed when I realized he was staring at my breasts. His hand came up to touch each one, whispering to me, "You are so beautiful, Sookie."

I whimpered when his mouth kissed and licked my breast, moaning as his tongue left a trail of fire over my skin. His other hand was busy teasing the other nipple and I could feel myself getting wet from his touch. My own hands found the loose hair at his neck and held on tight.

"Oh, God, Eric, that feels amazing!"

He smiled and let out a little chuckle, "I haven't even started, my Sweet Sookie. Relax and let me pleasure you ok?"

"If you continue like that, I won't stop you." My body was full of desire for this man.

"Good, now lift your hips so I can take off your shorts." I did as he asked and lifted my hips. My shorts were now somewhere along with my top. Again, I really didn't care.

He continued sucking and nibbling my breast as his other hand trailed down my abdomen to my center. As his finger grazed over my sensitive spot, he groaned, "So wet for me, already." His touch left a burning trail on my skin. I was so aroused, I cried out in ecstasy when he slipped a finger inside my wet core. "Sookie, you are so tight, so wet!" Eric growled into my breast.

His finger began working in and out, sending my nerve endings through the roof! How did I wait so long for this? This was wonderful, he was incredible, and I wanted more. I could tell he was aroused as well, judging by the bulge in his pants. It was HUGE and resting along my thigh.

His mouth moved up to kiss mine, as he slipped another finger inside of me. Keeping his weight off of me, he slipped his free hand around my waist. The friction of his hands and my wetness were melding together perfectly. His kisses were sweet and tender, yet passionate and sexy. I held his face to my own deepening the kiss as he worked his fingers in and out of me. Our breathing increased as I felt something building inside me. Eric noticed the change too and increased the speed on my core, curling his fingers a bit.

"Come for me Sookie." He said hoarsely.

Before I knew it, I was screaming out his name and my orgasm rocked through me. I buried my face in his neck as I rode out the after shocks.

Lifting my head to reach Eric's intense and burning gaze, my desire increased even more. "Eric, that was unbelievable! Is it wrong of me to want more?"

He smiled. "No, Sookie, that's how it is supposed to feel. I would be happy to give you more. Are you sure you want to go further?"

"I want nothing more. Do you have condoms, Eric?"

He kissed my nose, "Yes, I do. I'll be right back." He got up and went over to the dresser. He opened the top drawer and pulled out a full box. "Quinn is always asking for them, and he is a bit of a man whore. I keep them on hand for him."

I was shocked at first to know he had some. I know that he has not lied to me, I can feel it. He has not done anything to make me think otherwise. I just need to pull my big girl panties up and go for it. The only problem is, I don't know where there are! I giggled thinking about that.

"What's so funny Sookie?" He looked confused.

"Nothing, nothing at all. Come back here and hold me." He did and put the condoms on the night stand. "I want you to know that I am ready for this. I can't explain it, but I feel like I have known you much longer than I have." I was lying with my head on his chest. My free hand was tracing circles in the small patch of blond hair there.

His arms tightened around me. "I know, I feel the same way. I thought I was crazy, but knowing you feel the same, it's just incredible. I can't wait to meet Gran tomorrow; she sounds like an amazing woman."

I smiled, "She is, and she will love you. I talked to her the other day and she was so excited to meet you and Quinn. I know Jason was going to sit down with her and tell her about Crystal and the baby. I can't believe that this is the first girl he got pregnant; he can be a bit of a man whore too. Maybe he and Quinn were separated at birth!" We both chuckled.

Eric's hands that had been holding me tight, started to wander. First, he brushed his fingers along my arm, and as he brought it back up, he grazed over my already hardened nipple. I gasped at the feeling. This man knew how to get me aroused. I turned from my side to my back, giving him more access to my body.

He brought his face down to meet mine and we kissed. Sweet at first, then more intense as his hand palmed my breast. My hands, not knowing where they should be, found their way into his hair again. He had the softest hair; I could touch it all day.

Breaking away from our kiss, I asked him to take off his pants, as I wanted to show some attention to his hardened member. He slipped off his pants easily and lay on his back. My eyes bugged out, I've never seen anything so big before.

"Eric, um, is that going to fit? It's huge!"

"I assure you, Sookie, it will fit."

He gently guided my hand over to touch him. When I wrapped my hand around him, he shuddered from the contact. I was afraid I hurt him, but he assured me I didn't. I was amazed at how his erection could be so hard, yet the skin was so soft. I spent some time just enjoying touching him. I decided to be braver and lean forward to lick and suck his cock.

"Oh, my God, Sookie, your mouth feels so good. Your breath is hot and wow, just wow."

After licking and sucking for a few minutes, Eric pulled me back up to kiss again. His kisses were intense and passionate. He guided me onto my back and started to kiss down my breasts toward my stomach.

"I'm going to lick your clit and get your pussy more wet. I don't want to hurt you, but it might at first. This will help."

He settled between my legs, looking up my body at me. I propped myself up on my elbows so I could watch him. As soon as his tongue licked my swollen clit, my head fell back and I moaned in delight.

"Lover, look at me!" He commanded. "I want you to watch me."

Not having a coherent thought in my brain at the moment, I just nodded.

He was teasing me with slow licks accentuated by faster, harder ones. My hands were gripping the sheets to keep from coming undone. Much quicker than before, my second orgasm ripped through me. I lay back panting, as he climbed up to kiss me again.

"Are you ready for me my Sweet Sookie?"

"Mmhmm." was all I could muster.

He leaned back to grab the condom, and I watched as he tore open the package and rolled it on. He positioned himself between my legs. His eyes were burning with the same desire I felt toward him. I gripped his upper arms for support as he slowly pushed his tip into my drenched core.

I winced at the initial feel of him inside me. "Shhh, I will go slowly. Try to relax."

I focused on his eyes, which seemed to help the pain I was experiencing. Inch by glorious inch, he was finally sheathed inside of me. He held still for a few minutes, allowing me to adjust to his size. Before I knew it, the pain was gone and I was bucking up against him.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes! Please don't stop!"

As soon as he started to move inside of me, I knew I could never get enough of him. The only sounds I could hear, were him sliding in and out of my wetness, and our joined moaning. Eric's eyes never left mine, as we pushed each other toward our own releases. I felt my orgasm coming; it felt like a freight train was barreling through my body.

"Sookie, I won't last much longer, you are so tight and it's been a while for me. I promise to make it up to you." He whispered.

He sped up and I let go and let the sensation roll over me. I cried out, letting my walls contract around him. My hands, glued to his forearms the whole time, gripped tighter. Eric's release came right after mine. He shuddered with his satisfaction.

"Sookie, that was so good, thank you, thank you!" He kissed me between each thank you. "I am honored that you chose to share that with me."

"Oh, Eric, I have never felt such intense pleasure in my life. Thank you!" I hugged him to me and didn't want to let go.

He pulled out of me and got up to discard the condom. He came back with a warm washcloth to help me clean up.

He kissed the top of my head, "My Angel, how would you like to share a bath with me?"

"That sounds heavenly. Hey what do you suppose Amelia and Quinn have been doing?"

He ran a hand through his hair, "Well, if I had to guess, I'd say the same thing as us. Come, let's get cleaned up and we can get something to eat. I assume you still need to head back to your apartment before we leave in the morning right?"

"Um, yeah, I only brought enough clothes for today. Would it be too much trouble to stay here again tonight?" I smiled up at him seductively.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

As I watched Eric walk away to run our bath, I lay contented on the bed. My mind was reeling with what we just did. I was in a state of total bliss and had no regrets. I glanced at the clock, it was after noon already! "Wow, what a morning!" I said to myself.

Eric came back and playfully scooped me up to carry into the bathroom. "Eric, I can walk, put me down!" I said as I laughed with him.

"Absolutely not! I am doing my duty to worship you like you deserve. I'll put you down in the bath."

"How could a girl say no to being worshipped?" I kissed his cheek as he carried me.

Once we were settled in the bath, he held me tight. I was content in the warm water and in his strong arms. It was so nice just to lay there and relax.

After a while, he told me to sit up so he could wash my hair; it was heaven, he was so gentle. I in turn washed his as well. He got out first and brought me the biggest and fluffiest towel I have ever seen. We dried off and got dressed, wondering where our friends were.

When we emerged from the bedroom, Quinn and Amelia were headed toward the door. Amelia noticed us first, "Hey guys, we were just going to get something to eat, you want to come along?"

"Yes, I'm starving!" I said a little too excitedly. She noticed my glowing smile but didn't say anything. I knew I would be spilling to her later.

Eric reached for my hand and squeezed, "Shall we? We still need to make plans for our trip to Bon Temps tomorrow."

With that, we headed out to eat some lunch. During lunch, Amelia and I said we would go back to our apartment to get more clothes. It was going to be easier to leave from the same place, so we all decided to stay at Eric's again.

After we ate, Amelia and I headed out. We had to get gas for her car; it was the biggest of all of ours, so we decided to take hers. I knew as soon as we were alone, she'd make me cave. "OK, Sook, you have the freshly fucked look, now spill!"

"Amelia!" I blushed. "I know you won't let me not say anything, so, yes, we had sex and it was so awesome!" I gushed.

"Sooks, I am so happy for you. You both have a glow today. It seems he is quite happy with you. Quinn and I did too, had sex that is."

"Ames, I thought you already had with him, I mean you spent so much time with each other when he got back."

"We have been, and let me tell you, that man has stamina! I just don't know if things will go any further or not. We are ok with our arrangement."

"Oh, Amelia, you and your fuck buddies!" We both laughed knowing how true it was.

We got to our apartment and packed up a couple days worth of clothes, I assumed that we would get home late tomorrow after spending the day with Gran and I wanted to make sure I could stay with Eric again.

We stopped to gas up the car and headed back to our guys. I for one, could not wait to get there!

A/N: Please be kind, writing lemons is really hard! I give props to those who do it all the time.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I feel so much better having gotten those lemons out on paper! Thanks for the reviews, they were awesome!!

I don't own the great characters; I'm just playing in CH's backyard.

A HUGE thank you to **Northwoman!!** She rocks in all her betaness!! Any mistakes after she worked her magic, are all mine.

Sorry for the delay; I was having trouble with this chapter. I think I'm on track now.

Also, I am on Twitter now too. I'm **kmsmith1975 **there too!

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Chapter 10

When I woke up the next morning, I was deliciously sore. I rolled over to snuggle up to Eric. He had been so sweet and so attentive to me yesterday. I couldn't grasp how lucky I was. Again, I slept great, and I wondered how I would ever sleep alone again. I was beginning to think about moving in with Eric like he asked yesterday. Was it too soon for that?

I felt Eric's arms tighten around me and he purred with contentment. "Good morning, my beautiful Sookie. How did you sleep?"

"Better than I ever have! I'm having a hard time figuring out how I will ever sleep alone again."

"You know, I was serious when I asked you to move in here, right? I have slept so much better with you here than I ever have. I know it's early, but think about it, ok?" He kissed my head.

I sighed, "I will think about it, but everything has happened so fast, I'm just afraid of things ending badly. I could get used to this though! Come on, we need to get moving; I can't wait to get to Gran's! My mouth is watering thinking of her cooking."

I jumped out of bed so fast, that Eric pouted. "Just a few more minutes of snuggling, please?"

"Ok, twist my arm, why don't you?" I laughed as I climbed back into his warm embrace.

Soon after Eric's snuggle time, we started to get ready to leave. We had about an hour drive to Bon Temps, and I was bouncing with excitement. My normally chipper in the morning roommate looked like she had been up all night.

She handed her keys to me, I giggled, "Rough night, Ames?"

"You could say that. Do you mind driving? I could really use a little more sleep."

"Sure, no problem, Ames, I think I might let Eric drive though, if that's ok?"

"Mmhmm, sure Sook." She pulled on her jacket and sat on the couch with her eyes closed.

Eric and Quinn emerged from their rooms, Quinn looked about as awake as Amelia, I could only wonder about how much fun they had last night. It's Thanksgiving, we're going to see Gran and Eric is with me!

"OK, let's get on the road; we should be there in about an hour. Does anyone need anything before we go? I asked.

"Coffee!" Amelia and Quinn said in unison.

I giggled, "Alright you two, let's go. There is a Starbucks on the way. We'll get you an IV and you should be good to go! Eric, do you mind driving?" I handed him the keys.

"Um, yeah, are you sure?" He took the keys from me.

"Absolutely! Let's go!"

After a quick trip to get coffee, we were on our way to Bon Temps. I could tell Eric was nervous, but he didn't let on that he was. He and I talked the whole way there about who would be there and what to expect. I assured him that Gran would love him and Jason, well my brother is who he is.

About the time we hit the 'Welcome to Bon Temps' Sign, Amelia woke up. "Wow, I slept the whole way? Quinn wake up, we're almost there." She handed us all gum to freshen our breath from the coffee and ran a brush through her hair.

"Hey Sook, before we leave tonight, do you mind stopping by my dad's house? There are some things I want to pick up."

"Sure Ames, we can do that when we are ready to leave. Turn here Eric, this is Hummingbird Lane; Gran's house is the white one to the left of the cemetery." I got excited, and started bouncing in my seat. "Oh, there's Jason! I am so excited for today, I just love the holidays!"

Eric pulled down the gravel driveway and stopped in front of the house. I jumped out of the car and ran to Jason. I jumped up to hug him, but I wanted to ask about Crystal and the baby. "Hi Jas! So does Gran know?"

He hugged me tight, "Hey Sis! Yeah, she knows, she wasn't happy at first, but has come around a bit. So introduce me to your man!"

I walked over to where Eric was standing, "Are you ready?" He nodded. "Eric, this is my brother Jason, Jason, this is my boyfriend Eric." They exchanged hellos and Amelia introduced Quinn to Jason as well. As we headed inside to see Gran, Eric held my hand. I squeezed it reassuringly.

As soon as the door opened, Gran was rushing into the living room toward us. "Sookie, my child, I'm so glad you are here!" She hugged me tight.

"Thanks Gran, I am so happy to be home with you! Oh, Gran, this is Eric, Eric this is my Gran, Adele Stackhouse."

Eric reached his hand out to shake Gran's hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Stackhouse. Thank you for inviting us to dinner."

"Oh, nonsense, call me Adele or Gran, everyone else does. Now come in and sit down, Sookie has told me so much about you."

Eric and I sat down on the couch as Gran gave Amelia a big hug and kiss. Amelia introduced Gran to Quinn. I asked if anyone would like a drink and went into the kitchen to get some tea. Gran followed me in and was smiling ear to ear.

"Well, my dear Sookie, you have yourself a very handsome man. I hope he treats you well."

"Oh, Gran, better than you can imagine! I told you about his hotel and the space he and his sister Pam are letting us use right? Well, Amelia and I have so many plans; I can't wait for you to see it!"

Gran came closer to me so no one else could hear her, "Sookie, I can tell something is different about you. You are glowing, my dear. I may be old, but I can tell when things happen. Please tell me you are being safe."

Gulp, how in the world did Gran know that? "Um, Gran, what are you talking about?"

"Pfft, you can't fool me dear, I can tell you have had sex with Eric."

I was shocked, I couldn't speak, I just blinked. "Umm..."

Gran laughed, "Sookie, my dear, I am not upset, I knew this would happen eventually. I just want you to be safe. I think we all can learn from your brother's mistakes. Now don't get me wrong, I am beyond thrilled to be a great-grandma. I want you to be sure about what you are doing. Have you gone to see a doctor?"

"No, not yet, Gran. I guess I should do that soon huh?" I could tell I was red in the face. This was so embarrassing to be talking about with my Gran, but who else would I talk to about it?

Just as soon as she brought it up, she changed the subject. "Sookie, grab those trays in the fridge, the cheese and dips. I have crackers and chips over there to go with them."

As I was getting them out, Amelia came in to see if we needed any help. I gave her a silent 'thank you' for distracting Gran more. Between the three of us, we got the drinks, and snacks out to the living room.

Gran was asking Eric questions about his hotel, and his travels. She was fascinated by how many places he had been. Thankfully he didn't mind all of Gran's questions. He really had some fascinating stories.

I had gotten up to help Gran check on dinner, and when I came back, Eric wasn't there. Amelia noticed my expression and pointed out the door. Eric was on his cell phone. I didn't want to disturb him, in case it was business, but I wanted to be near him.

The old door creaked as I stepped onto the porch, making Eric turn toward me. He smiled and waved me over to him. He mouthed, "Pam" and I nodded.

I sat down next to him on the swing, listening to his one sided conversation. I had to laugh at what I heard, even though I didn't know what she was saying. "I'll see what I can do, Pam. OK, yes, uh huh. Got it. I will. Pam! Stop. I'm hanging up now. I'm sure you do. You are a brat! Goodbye!" And he shut his phone.

"Sorry about that. My sister and her ideas. I swear we don't come from the same parents!"

I giggled and leaned into him. He hugged me to his side and kissed my temple. "So, Pam wanted to let me know that she will be in New York for a while longer. I guess Sophie and she will be designing some socialite's loft and it is scheduled to be an eight week job. She wanted to know if we all would join her for Christmas in New York City?"

"We, as in you and me? Eric, I can't leave Gran or Jason on Christmas!"

He smiled at me, "We, as in you, me, Jason, Gran, Amelia, and anyone else who wants to come along. Have you ever been to NYC?"

"Um, no, but it will be so expensive to fly up there at Christmas time. We can't afford that just yet."

"Sweetie, I have a jet, it won't cost anybody anything. Plus we have a huge house there. I think it has like ten bedrooms, each with its own bathroom attached. It's a crazy big house. It would be so cool to have Christmas up there! I've never been there for Christmas, but always wanted to. It just didn't seem right to have me and Pam in that giant house alone for the holidays. What do you say? Will you go?"

To say I was shocked again with how much money he had was an understatement. The fact that he so freely shared what he had without asking for anything in return was amazing. "I..I don't know, Eric. We will have to ask Gran, it would be fun, I suppose."

"Alright, it's settled, let's go ask her now before things get too crazy." He grabbed my hand and dragged me into the kitchen to where Gran was.

"Adele, could I have a word with you?" I saw my Grandmother's eyes light up when Eric talked to her.

"Why, of course, is something wrong, dear?"

"No, that was my sister on the phone. She is in New York City helping a friend out with a new project. It will take them until after New Year's Day to finish up, so she and I won't be together for Christmas."

Gran interjected, "Oh, that poor dear. Will she be alright alone?"

"Well, she wanted to know if everyone would like to spend Christmas in New York City? Now before you say anything, she wants everyone, that includes you, Adele. We own a huge house that just sits there, and I have a private jet to get everyone there. It wouldn't cost you a thing to go. We could all sight see and just enjoy each other for Christmas. What do you say, Gran, will you come along?" Boy that man could sell milk to a cow, he was so convincing.

I could see Gran thinking it over. She said, "Well, I have always wanted to see New York, and it's so pretty in the pictures I have seen.......OK, I'll go."

I jumped up and down and then hugged her. "Oh, Gran we will have so much fun! I can't wait!"

Eric, ever the pragmatist, "Adele, you and Jason are coming to Sookie's Commencement right?" She nodded. "Well, it's a week before Christmas, so why don't we plan on leaving a day or so after and spending the week before Christmas wandering around New York and then we can have a big dinner and just relax. We can stay as long as you want, there is so much to see and do. I'd recommend staying through New Years Day, it's a great place to be then." His eyes lit up when he talked about it.

We spent the rest of the day and dinner discussing our trip to New York City for Christmas. Jason was excited, and said he would talk to Crystal about going too. Eric called Pam back and told her as well. She was excited and said she was planning on a 'girls only' day.

Pretty soon we had to head back to Shreveport, we didn't want to leave, but we didn't bring any clothes along. We said our goodbyes and headed to Amelia's house. I told Gran I would call her and we would work out all the details of our little vacation.

"Ames, what did you need to get from your dad's house?" I asked as we drove.

"My dad found some old family photos that he wanted me to have, plus some of my grandmother's jewelry. He said it would all be boxed up and waiting, so other than that, I'm really not sure." She shrugged.

When we got to her house, there was indeed a giant box waiting for her. But what she didn't know was that there was one waiting for me as well. Amelia and I looked at each other and didn't know what to think. There was a card on top addressed to Amelia. It read:

_Dear Amelia,_

_While on a recent trip to New Orleans, I came across your old Nanny, Octavia in a restaurant. She was so happy to see me, and asked if I could come to her house later that day._

_When I got there, she handed me these two wrapped boxes, one for you, and the other for Sookie._

_I'm curious to know what's inside. I will see you soon Amelita._

_Love, Dad_

As Amelia and I tore into the boxes, Eric and Quinn just looked on in awe. We were like two little kids at Christmas. We opened the box at the same time, and both gasped. What we found was a leather bound photo scrapbook, with our names embossed across the front. We opened them up and immediately the tears fell.

Octavia was Amelia's Nanny for years, and since we were always together, mine as well. She took us everywhere she could and always had a camera on her. I think she used to develop at least ten rolls of film each week. She always said one day we would understand why she took so many pictures.

"Oh, Amelia, look at these pictures! She caught us in the most innocent and happy times of our life. I can't believe she did this for us. I am overwhelmed!"

"Sookie, I know, me too. Definitely unexpected. She did always say we would appreciate her pictures one day. I guess she was right."

Quinn walked up to us and asked, "What's so special about these? They are just photo albums, can we go now?"

Eric looked pissed at Quinn, "Hey, what is wrong with you? Go wait outside for us, can you not see that these are sentimental?" He pushed Quinn toward the door, and turned to us, "Sook, Amelia, take as long as you need ok?"

We both nodded because as our tears spilled down our faces. "Ames, do you have a number for her? We really need to call her, this was so thoughtful. Our whole childhood is here captured in pictures!"

"I don't know, but my dad saw her, so maybe he does? We can call him from the car. Do you think Eric would mind driving again? I'd like to sit and look through the book."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind. Where is the stuff you wanted to get? We can have the guys load it into the trunk."

"Oh, it's just this box here, I wonder if the pictures he wanted me to have were Octavia's?"

"Let's get them loaded up and we can go through them when we get back. Ames, would it be ok if we stayed with Eric and Quinn again tonight? I don't want to sleep alone after seeing all these pictures. She has pictures of my parents." I started to cry thinking about them. She hugged me tight and we cried remembering my parents.

Eric came back in to check on us and noticed me crying. He came right over to me, "Hey, why the tears?" He hugged me and kissed my forehead.

I leaned into him and sighed. He was my comfort zone, and we really hadn't known each other very long. I pulled back from him, "It's all the pictures, Eric, there are some of my parents and I was just thinking of them. Can I stay with you tonight?"

"Of course you can Sookie. Let's get all this packed up so we can head back. Do you want me to drive so you and Amelia can look at your books?"

"Yes!" We both said together. We loaded up and set out for home. Home. Funny how I associate Eric's place with home. Hmm, I will have to think about that; but not today.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I know I am so late with an update on this, but I had a hard time deciding where I wanted it to go. I thank you all for sticking with me on this journey. I am determined to finish this story for myself as well as all of my readers.

None of this would be possible without my beta, Northwoman, she keeps me on track when I take a detour! Thanks for all you do!

I don't own the characters, I just bend them to my will!

**Chapter 11**

I was curled in Eric's arms thinking about all that has happened recently. I sighed and tried to bury myself further into his embrace.

"What was that sigh for?" Eric asked as he kissed my forehead.

"I was just thinking of how happy I am and so glad that we met at the tournament. I'm nervous about graduating and starting our own business though."

"Sookie, you are graduating top of your class with Amelia, and have more business sense and knowledge than people who graduated ten years ahead of you." He tried to lighten my mood by kissing down my neck. "Besides, I should be the one that's glad I ran into you. You have changed my life in the few short weeks we have been together."

"Is it weird that I associate comfort with you?" I asked as I looked into his eyes.

"Not at all! In fact, I think we are each other's comfort zone. Think about it, we both sleep so well when we are together, and have so much in common. I can honestly say that I have never opened up to anyone like I have to you."

"Do you even know how wonderful you are Eric?"

"No, but I know how wonderful you are!" He said as he kissed my nose. We both giggled. "As much as I would love to stay in bed with you my dear, you have a college graduation to get ready for!"

I pouted, "Can I have a few more minutes to snuggle?" I figured if I used his excuse he would cave. I was right, as he groaned but happily snuggled with me.

Two hours later we were showered, dressed and waiting on our families. Jason was driving up with Gran and Crystal. Amelia's dad was meeting us with his new girlfriend. "Ames, have you met the stepmonster yet?"

"Uh, yeah, she isn't so bad. She's kind of cool if you like the surgically enhanced look!"

We both laughed. I noticed that someone seemed to be missing, "Um, Amelia? Where is Quinn?"

She rolled her eyes at me, "It seems that his mother and sister have gotten into a bit of a financial crisis, and he has to go and save the day. I don't know about him Sook. There seems to be so many areas where he is not truthful."

I was intrigued as to why, "What do you mean Ames?"

"Well, you know we have been fuck buddies for a while now, and I was beginning to think that maybe we could have a normal relationship, you know like what you have with Eric? But he said that he can't commit to me and that I will never come first for him."

"Oh, my God Amelia, he actually said that?"

"Yeah, but please don't tell Eric, they are like best friends."

"True, but he can't help that his friend is a total douche! But I won't say anything to him."

"Thanks Sook, you're the best! Now come on, we have college degrees to get!"

Amelia and I headed down into the lobby where Eric was meeting our families. Gran looked great and came over to kiss us both.

"Look at my two girls will you? All grown up and heading out to the big world. I am so proud of you two. Here, I have something for you."

"Gran what did you do? Amelia and I don't need anything." I knew Gran lived on a budget and wondered what she had gotten.

"Oh, tish tosh, you two. I only dressed up what you made when you were little girls. Go on, open it up."

Amelia and I looked at each other and shrugged. We made so much when we were little, this could be anything. When we opened it up, we both laughed so hard we cried. Then we hugged Gran and told her how much we loved her.

Eric was confused, so he asked, "Um, what's in the box that made you laugh like that?"

"When Amelia and I were ten, the town made a big deal about opening a time capsule from one hundred years ago. So we thought it would be fun to make our own and bury it in the backyard. We put in it a picture of ourselves, a boondagle bracelet we made a summer camp and a letter we wrote to our future selves. Gran took it all and made a shadow box so it's all displayed for us."

Eric looked into the box and smiled. "You guys were so cute. What did your letters say?"

I blushed, "Um, mine said that I would wear a pink dress to my prom; I would get married to someone whose name started with the letter E, and I would have three kids and a dog."

Amelia spoke up, "Mine said that I would wear blue to my prom; get married to someone with the letter P in their name and have five kids and two cats."

We both giggled, but Eric asked, "So what color did you wear to your prom?"

"I wore pink and Amelia wore blue, just like we said! I totally forgot about this. Gran where was this? I remember digging a hole, but not sure where it was."

Gran chuckled, "You know I had the pipes re-done for the bathroom addition right? Well the workers dug up this old coffee can and almost threw it away, but gave it to me because it made noise when they picked it up. I knew right away what it was and wanted to surprise you girls."

"Well, Gran, I think it's great! I want to hang it on the wall of our office. But we better get going or we will be late!"

A few hours later and we were finishing up with dinner. Amelia and I headed to the ladies room, when she turned to me, "So Sook, do you feel any different being a college graduate?"

"Um, no. You?"

"Nope!" We both laughed. "So, are you packed for New York yet? I can't believe we are going to spend Christmas there! Oh, have you gotten Eric a Christmas present yet?"

My good mood faltered, "Yes I am excited to go, but I have no clue what to get him. I was kind of hoping that I would find something really cool there. Will you help me?"

"Of course I will, you know that. But I do have an idea that would make shopping obsolete."

"Well, spill girl. Tell me your idea!" Amelia was great with shopping, so I knew I could count on her to help.

"Move in with him."

I swallowed hard, "What?"

"You heard me, move in with him. He has been asking right?"

"Yes."

"And you said yourself that you have been sleeping better than ever with him right?"

"Yes."

"You both get along great, have lots in common. You will be working with him, in his hotel, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, what more do you need? I mean you are always together anyways. Why not just move in with him?"

"I...um, well, what about you? Where will you live if I move out?" I figured I had her there, she would be alone and I would feel bad, so case closed.

Amelia rolled her eyes at me. "I swear Sookie, sometimes you can be such a brat. I was actually going to move into the hotel temporarily, until the lofts that Eric and Pam are working on are ready. I don't want to live in an apartment forever."

"Amelia, why do you make everything sound so uncomplicated? I'm not sure I am ready for this. It's a big deal to move in together. What if we break up?"

"Sookie, sweetie, please stop over rationalizing things. I realize you are nervous, but if you don't take chances in your life, you are going to lose out big time! Take a leap of faith and do it. If things go bad and you break up, you can move in with me. Don't give up before you even try."

"I still have some time to decide. I'll let you know, ok? Come on, I know Gran is tired, let's help her get settled, today has been a long day for her."

We walked back into the restaurant to get Gran, and we found her talking to Eric. He was so sweet with her and obliged her when she asked about all his travels. When we approached them, Gran turned to us. "Hello, there girls. Will you help an old lady up to her room?"

"Gran, you are not old, stop that! Of course we will, Eric, I will be back down in a bit ok?"

Eric smiled, kissed Gran on the cheek, then me, and told me to take my time.

Before we got away from the table, Amelia's dad stopped us. "Girls, I need a word with you about your project. Adele, would you mind if I stole them for just a few minutes?"

"Of course not, I'll just stay and talk with Jason and Crystal while you talk."

Amelia's dad, Copley Carmichael, was huge in the construction business. He was helping us tremendously with our renovations. He said, "I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. The pool area needs to be totally removed and new concrete poured. It turns out that the asbestos is worse than we thought. I will need to delay your renovations by a few weeks so we can get it cleaned up."

Eric, ever the business man asked, "Copley, will the asbestos removal effect business in the hotel at all?"

"No, it won't. We can seal off the air ducts and no one will even know its happening. I assure you, this will only delay your progress a few weeks. I guess it works out to your favor, you can spend more time in New York and not worry about getting back quickly."

Amelia and I smiled. I turned to Eric, "That's awesome news! I was hoping we could stay until New Year's. Not that I want to be delayed on anything, but this works out great for us!"

Eric kissed my cheek, "I'm happy if you are happy sweetheart. Go get Gran settled, and come back to me ok?"

"You got it." I smiled and walked away to go get Gran.

Amelia and I got Gran settled when she asked, "Sookie, can I have a moment with you?"

"Of course Gran. Ames I will meet you down stairs ok?"

"Sure thing Sook. Night Gran!"

Gran sat down on the bed and motioned for me to sit with her. She looked serious, and it scared me a bit. I could tell she wanted to talk to me about something, but was nervous.

"Gran, is something wrong?"

She sighed and then smiled. "Sookie, I want you to know how proud of you I am. You have overcome so much in your life and I wish you well in everything you have planned. I do want to speak to you about Eric."

Uh oh, I thought. "Gran, what about Eric?"

"How do you feel about him?"

"Um, well, I really like him a lot. We have so much in common and he has been such a gentleman to me. I think I might be falling in love with him."

Gran took my hand in hers, "Sookie, dear, have you told him how you feel? What I mean to say is, I can see that you both have fallen hard for each other and I want you to follow your heart when it comes to your relationship with him."

"Actually, Gran, we have told each other that we are falling in love with the other. In fact, Eric asked me to move in with him, I just don't know if I am ready or not."

"Oh, my, well I think he has definitely fallen for you my dear! You don't ask someone to move in with you unless you are in love! What are you afraid of?"

"I'm really not sure, Gran. When I am with him, everything feels right. Like we are supposed to be together. It has just happened so fast, I don't want to make a mistake."

"Well, my dear, I was talking to him after dinner tonight, and I have to say that he is the most charming man, and I could tell the way his eyes sparkled when he talked about you, that he feels the same way you do. I think you two will be fine if you move in together."

"Gran, are you telling me to move in with Eric?"

She patted my hand, "I'm just saying that you are really wonderful for each other, and I want you to consider all options. Don't be afraid to follow your heart. You'd be surprised what you'll find in yourself when you do. Now, I am an old lady who needs her rest. Go on back to your man, and I will see you in the morning for our wonderful trip."

"Um, Ok, good night Gran." I kissed her and stood to leave.

"Good night Sookie."

As I walked back down to the lounge, I had a lot to think about. Eric has been asking me to move in with him, and Gran was kind of pushing me to do the same. I wonder what else they talked about? Nope, not going to think about that now. I do, however, need to think about Eric's offer. It seems like Amelia is going to move into the hotel temporarily until the lofts are done either way. I need to decide if I want to live with Eric or get a place on my own. Well, I don't have to decide tonight, I can enjoy my Christmas vacation in New York City, and after I can figure out what I am going to do.

When I got back downstairs, Eric was talking with Jason and Amelia. I guess Crystal was tired and had gone up to bed. I went over and sat down in Eric's lap.

"Hello, Dear One. Did you have a nice talk with Gran?" His smile told me he knew what she said to me.

I pulled back to look him in the eyes. "Eric, did you put Gran up to it? You are looking like the cat that ate the canary right now."

"Sookie, I assure you that she brought it up to me, not the other way around. You know how I feel on the matter. I told you I would wait however long it takes for you to make up your mind. Now, we have a big day ahead of us, let's get up to bed, shall we?"

Jason, Amelia, Eric and I headed up the elevator to our floors. Jason's room was right next to Gran's, and Amelia was staying in the suite with us. I was so tired I almost went to sleep in my dress.

Eric, ever the gentleman, helped me out of it and into my standard tank top and boy shorts. When we climbed into bed, I melted into his embrace. I knew we had to talk more about our feelings, but I really was too tired to get into it all.

"Thank you Eric. Thank you for everything that you have done and are doing for me."

He chuckled, "You know I would do it all again. I would do anything for you. Your happiness is what matters most to me. Do you have any ideas of what you want to see or do while in New York?"

"Actually, Gran, Amelia and I talked a bit today. We want to shop of course, but we do want to sightsee some too. I know I want to see the tree in Rockefeller Plaza, Gran wanted to go to the top of The Empire State Building, and Amelia wants to see Times Square. Do they do the horse drawn carriages through Central Park in the winter?"

"Those sound like wonderful ideas. And yes, they do offer the carriage rides, in fact, you and I are going on one together!"

"We are?"

"Yes. I was going to wait and surprise you with it, but you asked about them, and, well, I just wanted to tell you. We are going to dinner as well. I just hope the weather cooperates."

"I'm overwhelmed, Eric, but very excited. Thank you. I think we better get some sleep before we stay up all night talking about New York. I want to get there and enjoy it. Good night Eric."

"Good night Sookie."

The next day, we all met in the restaurant for a quick breakfast before we headed out to the airport. Our bags were packed and already on their way to the airport to be put on the plane. Everyone was so excited to be going, the energy in the room was contagious.

Eric walked into the room and said, "Well, I think we are almost ready to head to the airport. I just talked with Pam, and she is eagerly awaiting us to land and get settled. She assured me that the house has been cleaned and stocked, all we have to do is 'get our butts there'. Her words, not mine. So is everyone ready?"

A collective, "Yes!" was heard all around.

Within an hour, Eric, Amelia, Gran, Jason, Crystal, and I were boarding Eric's private jet. With our seat-belts fastened, we were ready for take off.

Eric leaned into me, taking my hand, "Are you ready for a great holiday Sookie?"

I squeezed his hand and smiled, "As ready as I'll ever be!"


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thanks to everyone who is reading, I am glad you all like this story. I'm sorry for any delays; I really am trying to get more out quicker.

Thanks to **Northwoman**, she is an awesome beta!

Chapter 12

I was a bundle of nerves during the flight to New York. Eric tried his best to calm me down, but I was still too nervous. The one time I tried to look out the window, all I saw was water. That sufficed to make me keep my eyes away from the windows.

I felt Eric put his arms around me to comfort me. I felt his lips brush up against my ear, "Look out the window Sookie."

I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, "I can't! All I saw was water before and it freaked me out. Please don't make me look." I pleaded.

I felt him chuckle, "We've turned, the water is on the other side. If you look out, you will see the New York City skyline. It's quite the sight."

I really wanted to see it. So I opened one eye quickly and then shut it again. The second time I was braver and opened both. I gasped, "OH! Oh, wow, Eric! This is amazing. I can't believe we are here!"

He kissed my temple, then whispered, "I'll show you the world, if you let me."

I heard what he said, but I was too caught in the sight before me to let it register in my brain. I will have to ask him about that later. I thought back to what Amelia had said about moving in with him. My heart was saying yes, but my brain was holding me back. I really need to get those two on the same page.

Before I knew it, we were on the ground, and headed to a large hanger. I could see a limo waiting for us, and as we got closer, I saw Pam step out and wave.

We got settled into the car, and headed off to their house. I was enjoying the sights as we drove. This was my first time seeing snow up close, I wasn't sure if I liked it yet or not. Before I knew it, we were stopping in front of a huge brick brownstone. My eyes bugged out at the sight of it. "Oh, you were right, this place is huge!"

Pam chimed in, "It was built in the 1920's and then someone tried to split it up in the 70's. When our parents bought it, it was a mess. You should have seen the wall paper! Daddy had some shirts that matched the stripes. It was gross. Mother spent nearly two years with the contractors trying to find the original moldings and fixtures. Somehow, they found more modern replicas, because the house had to be re-wired. Sophie and I just re-decorated all the bedrooms. I hope you all like it."

Gran was beaming. "Oh, dear, I am sure whatever you did is just wonderful! I love the outside, so I am sure we will all love the inside too."

The car drove around to the garage in the back and we all went into the house. Eric helped Gran out of the car and then pulled me aside as everyone else went into the house. "Sookie, I assume it will be ok if you and I share a room right? Gran won't say anything?"

I giggled, "No, of course not Eric! She knows we are all but living together. Besides, she is a big fan of you and all but told me to move in with you."

He raised and eyebrow, "She did?"

"Oh, don't play coy with me, Eric! I am sure you said something to her, besides, I haven't made up my mind yet, I'll let you know soon though, ok?"

"Alright, my Angel. Let's go meet up with everyone else."

**EPOV**

The fact that she is even considering moving in with me is making my dick twitch. I know I have told her that I was falling in love with her, but damn if I haven't already fallen. And fallen hard. I am going to have to come up with something spectacular for her Christmas present. Maybe I could take Jason out while the girls go shopping. Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.

As we met up with the group, Pam was showing off her and Sophie's decorating. I have to say, this place looks great. Pam was right though, when my parents first bought it, it was a dump.

"Pam, you and Sophie have out done yourselves! This place looks spectacular. I can't wait to see what you did with the bedrooms. Shall we all get settled in? Gran, do you need help with your bags?"

"Mr. Northman, the bags have already been taken up to the rooms. Ms. Pam instructed us ahead of time as to where they should go. Please let me know if you need anything further."

"Thank you Clancy. And please, Mr. Northman was my father, call me Eric. I want to thank you and Thalia for getting this place ready for us."

Clancy looked down and then back up at Eric, "Thank you, sir. My wife and I take great pride in keeping this place looking its best. It is wonderful to see people using it again."

Thalia returned and stood next to Clancy. "Clancy, Thalia, I want you both to meet everyone. This is Sookie, her Grandmother, Adele, her brother Jason, his girlfriend Crystal, and our friend Amelia. You already know Pam. Everyone, this is Clancy, our butler and driver, and his lovely wife Thalia, our maid and cook."

Everyone exchanged 'pleased to meet you's' and we made our way upstairs. Pam had talked with me about the rooms. We had agreed to leave the Master Suite alone, it was our parents and it didn't feel right to use it.

We had stopped at the top of the stairs, Jason and Crystal were using the green room. Pam had used one color for each room and decorated it in different shades of that color. They both seemed happy and we moved on to Gran's room. She was using the yellow one across the hall. I could hear her ooh and ahh. Amelia had chosen the red room and I lead Sookie down to our room. Her gasp was worth it.

"Eric, this room is so beautiful! I love the way Pam used the different shades of blue. It looks so masculine and feminine at the same time."

"I'm glad you like it. Now come and sit with me. You must be tired from the flight. We don't have to be anywhere or do anything today. We can rest up and go out shopping tomorrow."

Sookie kicked off her shoes and climbed up on the bed, "I have a better idea, why don't you come up here and keep me company?"

"Hmm, I like the way you think." I climbed up and started kissing her. My hands roamed around locking behind her back. My kisses became more urgent and heated as they traveled down her neck. With her free hands, she undid the buttons on her shirt, giving me more access to her. She gasped when my teeth pulled down her bra exposing her breasts. As I sucked on her nipples, she moaned in pleasure.

From the door way, we heard, "Please don't stop on my account. I do love the way a woman's breasts look."

Eric growled, "Pam! What the fuck do you want?"

Pam walked in and sat down in the chair in the corner. "Oh, just wanted you to know that Thalia made dinner, she said it would be ready in about half an hour. So you might want to wrap it up." With that she got up and walked out.

I sighed, "Sweetheart, I would love nothing more than to finish this, but I think I need to lock that door next time. Not to mention Pam has been itching to see us all. I promise you, we will make use of that bed later."

She pouted. I hate when she pouts. "You better believe it, mister. I'll hold you to that!"

Oh, she has no idea what I want to hold her to. _Focus Northman_.

As predicted, Pam was waiting outside our room and grabbed Sookie by the hand. She started rambling on about where they had to go and what they had to see. I held back, when Jason came up to me.

"Eric, I want to get my baby a little something while we are here. I know he or she won't remember being here, but where can I go for something like that?"

I smiled, this would be fun, "Jason, do you like ToysRUs?"

"Yeah, who doesn't?"

I clapped him on the back, "Well, my friend, you have no idea how much fun this one is. We'll go tomorrow while Pam drags the ladies off to shop."

"Cool. Thanks man."

Jason walked away toward the girls, and I couldn't wait for tomorrow. This indeed would be a fun trip!

**SPOV**

By the time we were done with dinner, and Pam had mapped out our shopping trip the next day, I was exhausted. We were planning on visiting Fifth Ave, which she explained to us was Bergdorf's, Bendel's, Saks, as well as Versace, Fendi and Ferragamo. I had no clue as to who or what these stores were, but hopefully I could find some deals.

I really wanted Eric to carry me up to our room and make love to me until I fell asleep. I knew that our alone time was going to be limited, so I yawned really loud to get everyone's attention. "Oh, excuse me, I am suddenly so tired. Pam I think I better get up to bed, you have a full day of shopping planned out and I will need to rest up."

Pam smiled, "Why of course Sookie. I think we all better plan on turning in soon. I do hope to have you experience what it means to 'shop til you drop'!"

"Gee, thanks Pam. Should I just order myself a Hoverround to keep up with you?"

Gran scolded me for speaking to Pam that way. "I'm sorry Gran, sorry Pam, I really am tired. It's been a long few days and I need to rest before our shop-a-thon."

Gran turned to Eric, "Would it be alright if I borrowed a book form your library? I noticed a few that I have never read and could take a book up to bed with me."

"Please, Gran, take whatever you want. I'm glad to see them get some use. This was my father's collection."

"Thank you. I'll just get a book and head up to bed. Good night all."

Jason stood up, "I think me and Crystal will head up too. Gotta make sure my baby gets lots of rest. Night."

Amelia was headed in to watch some television before she headed up; Pam decided to join her.

I looked at Eric with pleading eyes. He smiled, and understood what I wanted. We said our good nights and headed up to our room.

Once the door was closed, I flopped on the bed, "Eric, your sister is going to kill me with all that shopping. What kind of stores are these anyways?"

"High end retail, shoes, purses, lingerie." He waggled his eyebrows when he said lingerie.

"Um, do these stores have clearance racks? Cause I am sure I will not be able to afford anything at regular price."

Eric looked like he wanted to say something, but was afraid of what I would say. "Out with it Northman. What have you done?"

"Don't be mad ok? It was Pam's idea and I just went along with it. We got everyone Gift cards that have $1,000 on them."

"A thousand dollars Eric! Are you kidding me? I won't be bought you know." I was mad, I knew I didn't have money to spend in these stores, but I also didn't want to be treated like a kept woman.

Eric looked at me, "Sweetie, please let me give this to you. We got them for everyone. It's nothing really, I mean I was hoping you would be ok with it, cause I did something else for you too."

Still a little miffed, but melting at his sincere words. I was almost afraid to ask, "What else did you do?"

He ran a hand through his hair, and knelt down in front of me. Taking my hands in his, he said, "I added your name to my credit card, and had your own card made up. But before you yell at me, I want you to understand why I did it. Sookie, ever since I met you, I can't stop thinking about you. You consume my every thought. I want you to have everything your heart desires. I have the means to give you that. Will you please take the card and use it?"

"Eric, this is all so much so fast. I refuse to be a kept woman. This is very generous of you. Thank you for doing this, but I don't know if I feel right spending your money. We never had much growing up; Gran taught me how to make do with what we had."

"Sookie, you will never be a kept woman. You are my girlfriend, you own my heart. I don't want to go a day without you in my life. I..I love you Sookie!"

"Oh, Eric, I love you too!"

Eric crashed his lips to mine. First it was raw and urgent, then he slowed to the tenderest of kisses. He scooped me up into his arms and placed me gently on the bed. We kissed sensuously as we slowly removed our clothes. My hands ran up and down his sculpted arms and back. I could feel every muscle move as he kissed down my body.

I watched as he kissed down my chest and stopped to suck on my hardened nipples. My back arched as a moan escaped my lips. Eric growled at my response. Our eyes met and I could see all the love he felt for me, and I pushed it back at him. In that moment, we were the only two people that existed.

His long fingers ghosted down my body until they stopped at my heated center. As he dipped his talented fingers into me, I let out another whimper of pleasure. "Sookie, always so wet and ready for me." He said huskily.

"Eric, I want you so badly. Make love to me, please."

He reached over to the bedside table and pulled out a condom. He rolled it onto his engorged member, and lined himself up at my entrance. He pushed in slowly until he was in all the way. My hands were clawing at his back, as he thrust in and out. I could feel the tension building in me with each stroke. I cried out in ecstasy, and my orgasm ripped through my body. Before I had a chance to come down from the first, he was pushing me to another. His thrusting sped up as we both came close to release. We both cried out as we toppled over the edge in a mind blowing orgasm.

Our bodies went limp, and Eric fell to the side so he didn't crush me. After discarding the condom, he pulled me to him and spooned up behind me. "Oh, Sookie that was incredible! I love you so much."

"I love you too, Eric." That was the last thing I remember before sleep took me over.

When I woke, I was alone in bed. I listened and I could hear people talking, but wasn't sure who it was. I got up and put on a robe to search out the voices. I found Eric and Pam in an office. Eric was on the phone, and he sounded angry at whoever he was talking to. His back was to me, so he didn't know I was there. Pam saw me and motioned for me to sit with her.

Eric very sternly said, "I really don't care what you have done now. I will not bail you out again. This is not my problem anymore. You owe me from the last time. Do whatever you want to do, I am done wasting my time on you. Do not, and I repeat, do not call me anymore about your pathetic crap. I do not want anything from you ever again. Do I make myself clear?" He shut his phone off tossing it on the desk. "Pam, what do we do now? I am at a loss, help me out."

With that he spun in his chair and noticed I was in the room. His eyes widened and he visibly looked shaken. "Sookie, when did you get here?"

"Just a few minutes ago. Who was on the phone? You sounded pretty upset." I have never seen this side of him, he was all business and authoritative. I have to say it kind of turned me on.

He sighed, "Pam, leave. I need to speak to Sookie."

Pam got up, "Fine, but Sookie dear, don't be too hard on him; this is not his fault, no matter how it seems."

"What's going on Eric?" I asked really confused.

He leaned on the desk and rested his head in his hands. He let out a frustrated growl and sat back up. "I am being blackmailed. I won't sugar coat this. An ex of mine, Felicia, has a bad history of drug abuse. She was in and out of rehab before I met her. She swore that she was clean, but stole money from me left and right for her habit. When I caught her, she denied everything. I felt bad, but I really wanted no part in her life any longer. I paid for her to go to rehab and clean herself up with the condition to leave me alone afterward and never contact me again."

"So, I'm guessing that was her on the phone? What's happened?"

"She is in trouble and owes money to some drug dealers. Since she knows how wealthy I am, she is demanding money from me to pay them back. If I don't, she will release pictures of us when we were together. Bedroom pictures Sookie. I didn't even know she had them. I'm sorry."

"Eric, this is not your fault. You were only trying to help her. She has no right to ask you for money. How bad are these pictures? Can you handle if they got out?"

"She emailed them to me, come see for yourself. I don't want these to get out. That is not who I am. I just don't want you to be upset by this."

I went around his desk and looked at the pictures. They were pretty explicit, my face reddened at what I saw. I didn't know anyone was able to bend that way. "Um, Eric, are you into that kind of stuff?" I asked nervously.

"No. Felicia was, she tried to get me into it and I just couldn't. That is part of why we didn't work. Between her drug use and that, we were doomed from the start. I will need to contact my lawyer about all this. Pam will be coming back in a bit to strategize about damage control."

I grabbed his hand and smiled. "I'm here for whatever you need from me, ok? I know you're not happy with some things in your past. I understand that things might come up, but we can deal with them together."

He grabs me around the waist and hugs me to him tightly. "I don't deserve you, you know that? Thank you." He kissed my hair and just held on to me.

"Eric, don't talk like that, we will get through this." _At least I hope we will._

A/N: Please review, they make me write faster. And I love to read your comments and thoughts!

If you didn't get the 'hoverround' reference, I'm sorry. It's a scooter for the elderly. I see the commercial a lot when I have time to watch 'the price is right'. I was watching tv as I wrote and thought of it.


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